Given the Chance
by sugardandy
Summary: GaaraOC Lemon Gaara couldn't understand why she was so different. What happens if someday someone really wants to get close to you, what if they want to be your friend, maybe more? If you can only love yourself could you ever return anyone else’s?
1. The Kazekage

**Given the Chance**

**Gaara Love Story**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and Co.

**Chapter #1**

**The Kazekage**

**Ok everyone I'm back and you ain't getting rid of me buhaha (very badly done evil laughter lol)! **

**Ahem**

**Ok so I am a BIG Gaara fan (AKA: Smexy Gaara-kun) so I thought I would try writing myself a good Gaara fic! I decided to make it an OC fiction because I already put Sakura through hell with Kakashi and I think I should give the Naruto girls some slack here. Rubs back of head nervously eh… anyway I enjoy making up characters from scratch because they act the way I want them to and do what I want them to! **

**(AKA: I can take more creative license with the story lol) **

**And speaking of creative license the authoress DOES know that that Gaara-kun ends up Shukaku-less in the original story line, and I have a thing about making the characters older in my story (you can't write a good romantic story with 12-15 year olds!). So just humor me and lets say Gaara still has his little demon friend when he is older!**

**ALSO! This was originally to be made for my Quizilla account and everyone there likes to read their stories written in Gaara/You format, I did some quick readjustments, but if I missed a 'you' or 'your' anywhere or I have a bad grammar error just tell me and I'll fix it!**

**Forgive me for the long (and probably annoying) author's note **

**(I like to babble what can I say)**

**ENJOY MY NEW STORY EVERYONE!**

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"Ordering two Pepsi, one turkey club, and one soup of the day," Cassandra announced clipping the small order sheet to a clothes wire hanging in the little window separating the kitchen from the dining area.

Iwate Cassandra, a normal everyday girl and resident in Sunagakure, and surprisingly the heroine of this story. She wasn't a ninja, a demon, and she didn't have any form of Kekkai Genkai whatsoever, this is _not_ that type of story, Cassandra didn't even have anything other than her hard working nature that made her stand out from a crowd. She was a bit on the short side for sixteen, only 5'3", her ebony hair was cut so it just barely brushed her shoulders, pale skin for someone who lived in a desert village, and wide child like green eyes. She normally wore casual and comfortable cloths, normally that included a light green t-shirt, and a red skirt, a white jacket, and a green cap to keep the sun out of her eyes.

Now to describe her personality … well to mention anything first it would be her ability to remain obliviously happy and not seem to take many problems seriously, she was the type of girl who it was impossible to rain on her parade, always with a gentle smile on her face and always ready to help anyone who needed it. Cassandra could also be considered motherly since she had been the one to take on cooking and other household chores after her mother died of lung cancer when she was only eight years old.

So you can probably see now why Miss Iwate Cassandra could be so significant, especially in a story involving someone like Gaara, considering after all that they had completely opposite lives. So why is so important? Well it's kind of a long story so it would be best to start on the day Cassandra first met Gaara…

A tall lean man with dark brown hair unclipped the small paper and took it to the back with him to fill out the order. He was Cassandra's father Daichi, the man who owned the restaurant, Cassandra was working there temporarily as a favor to him while he was short handed after his other part time girl quit. It was one of the busiest privately owned small businesses in Suna so he was always glad for the help.

"You know Cass your shift was over an hour ago you're free to go home," her father called from the back.

Glancing at the clock Cassandra realized he was correct, "Damn you're right it's already seven."

"You head home I'll be back right after I close up for the night," Daichi called from the back.

Handing the apron she had been using to hold your notepad and change in to her father in the back she grabbed her hat and jacket off the coat rack in the back before heading out to home. Her house was only a ten to fifteen minute walk so it didn't bother her much, plus around sunset and nighttime the desert got nice and cool so Cassandra was comfortable in her sweater.

Cassandra lived in a nice two story home in Sunagakure, it was a nice size, and she called it home and never wanted for anything. Cassandra liked her comfortable life; she had her father and her brother Hale always looking out for her, a warm bed to always come home to, and two yellow labs named Kobi and Cori that always waited patiently at the door for her no matter how late she came home from her job.

Opening the door she were instantly knocked over again by two large blonde fur covered bodies jumping up and tackling the dark haired girl to the ground followed by a pair of large saliva drenched tongues lapping happily at her face. She coughed and fought against them laughing the whole time, even if they weren't behaving Kobi and Cori were her babies, her father had bought the two of them for Cassandra on her tenth birthday and even six whole years later they still acted like puppies.

"If you guys keep attacking me like this what does that say about my animal training skills," she asked her dogs when they finally allowed her to get to her feet and enter the house, of course after they were satisfied with the tongue bath, "Of course its always me that gets knocked down by you two never dad or Hale. I guess you both are hungry though I am an hour late coming home after all."

After putting down two large bowls of dog food for Cori and Kobi she sat at the table for a moment to rest her tired feet from being on them all day running around with people's orders. She watched the dogs eat for about ten minutes when she noticed a note on the table in her brother's handwriting.

_Cass and dad, _

_I was called to see the Hokage with my teammates so I probably won't be back until late, so someone will need to feed the dogs. _

_See both of you later,_

_Hale_

_P.S. – It would be greatly appreciated if Cass made some of that great rice and curry I love so much, I never did eat any supper, and a shinobi needs good food. _

Cassandra chuckled reading the note. Her brother, a Sunagakure Chunin at the age of seventeen, was technically an adult but writing notes was an old habit since Daichi tended to be protective and always wanted to know where Cassandra and her brother were. And that same habit was burned in her brain as well because using the pen on the table she scribbled in her own little P.S. note that said she were going to take the dogs and maybe go meet Hale at the Kazekage's tower.

"So much for resting my sore feet," she said with a small smile, but she couldn't help it, if Hale had been gone that meant the dogs hadn't been out and if they weren't out at least once a day they went insane at night, "Come on guys lets go for a walk the night air will do us good."

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Gaara had just about rapped up a briefing for a mission involving a very rich Suna citizen requesting shinobi escorts to the fire country, none of them below rank of Chunin, they would be leaving early in the morning thus the late night meeting.

When the time finally came for everyone to start filing out and going home Gaara was relieved, everyone finally leaving meant he got to leave too, Gaara didn't necessarily like going home but he preferred it over staying at the Kazekage tower and working. At least at home people would keep calling him Kazekage-sama, which he was beginning to loath, and he could always get away from his annoying siblings by going up on the roof for the night. When Gaara was out in the open and the Kazekage there was virtually no escape and it was irritating.

Gaara got out of his seat and followed the Chunin out of the building since he was also heading home, the eighteen year old Kazekage was going to welcome home, it was unusual for him.

The group of them had just arrived outside, everyone seemed to unanimously stop and breathe in the fresh air after being inside for such a long briefing, when a young girl maybe one or two years younger than Gaara came leading two large yellow labs, "Oniichan!"

(A/N: ok so for the sake of clarity _Oniichan_ big/older brother. I thought about using the more traditional _Oniisan_ which means the same thing but Cassie is not the type to be so formal with her family members so _chan_ it was! Ok my rant is done back to the story…)

One of the chunin, a young man with dark chocolate coloured hair, looked over at the young girl and smiled. Gaara remembered his name being Iwate but not much else about him other than he was a year younger than him, pretty much because his family life was his business not Gaara's, all he needed to know was if he could get a mission done or not, he didn't care if he had a sister.

"Cass," the young chunin with his messy brown hair mopping over his Hatai-ate said kneeling down and petting the dogs, "I didn't expect an escort home."

"They needed to be walked so I thought that I may as well," the girl ebony haired piped happily.

The male of the dogs started sniffing the air curiously and for a split second it froze as it stared right at Gaara before starting into a frenzy of snarling and barking. It only took a few barks to get his female companion to start barking and snapping in the Kazekage's direction, it wasn't the first time dogs and cats had acted like this around him, it got on his nerves and the sand around his feet began to swirl in agitation.

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The dogs suddenly started acting up for some reason but Cassandra couldn't for the life of her see why. All the chunin present outside the building were old friends of Cassandra's brother from his academy days that Kobi and Cori had all met and 'approved' of before. They had no real reason to start freaking out like they were doing just then, and they were going for it like they had never done before. Normally she could keep a good grip on both of them, but they started pulling so hard she was being dragged across the ground leaving sandy track marks from trying to dig in her feet for traction, she was after all fairly small in size compared to two large dogs.

"Kobi, Cori down," she ordered but they wouldn't listen to her and they started pulling against her so hard her heals were leaving even deeper drag marks.

Hale gave his sister a hand by taking the leads for her and trying to calm them down, "There's probably just stray dog running around here somewhere that they smell, we'll just take them home, I have to pack for tomorrow anyway."

Cassandra stretched her relieved arms after almost having them pulled out of their sockets by her two insane dogs when she noticed the man in the Kazekage's robes. She blinked seeing a pair of sea green eyes staring out at her from underneath the hat, Cassandra couldn't see his face because of the cloth in front of it (a/n: what is that called anyway), but those glaring eyes were unforgettable, _'At first glance they seem angry … but … they also look kind of sad, almost lonely in a way … nah maybe I'm just tired.'_

"Is that the Kazekage," the small girl asked curiously glancing up towards her brother who had inherited their father's height so he basically loomed over her.

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"Ya that's him," Hale grumbled before giving her a small nudge, "Come on Cass lets get going, now."

The way her brother said 'now' was what got her attention, it was the way he always said it so she knew he meant 'or else', it showed some form of fear. But what on earth was her brother so afraid of that he had to get you home so urgently that instant?

As Cassandra walked home alongside Hale she happened to glance back at the sea green eyes that were still glaring daggers in her direction and you began to wonder, _'Is Hale afraid of the Kazekage?'_

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**Ok so here is my opening chapter, I hope you liked it, I already have the second chapter written but I am going to wait for a few reviews before I post it! Chapters are a little shorter than my normal length (standard 'me' chapters are usually 7-9 pg) because as I said before this was originally a Quizilla story but I am still proud of myself!**

**Buhaha more bad evil laughter**

**Review please I learn from constructive criticism and your compliments really do boost my ever growing ego! LOL! **

**Starchip13**


	2. Sorry

**Chapter #2**

**Susimasen**

**Disclaimer: Ok seriously if I did own any of the Naruto characters they would be locked in my closet to serve on me hand and foot … especially my Smexy Gaara-kun he would be mine!**

**So no, I do not, own Naruto or any of the characters associated with the series!**

**Ok here is the next chapter, I doubt checked it so I hope I got all the 'you' and 'your' this time, forgive me if there is still one or two.**

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The next morning was Saturday, usually the day Cassandra got caught up on all the rest she missed during the week, but since her brother Hale was leaving early that morning so she had set her alarm so she could help him prepare and make something to eat. God knows he couldn't cook worth a damn.

After shutting off her alarm Cassandra wondered tiredly into Hale's room next door to hers and found him packing in his room, "I thought you said you finished packing last night Hale."

"I was tired so I went strait to bed," he answered absently packing clean cloths into his backpack. As he finished he slung it over her shoulder to test the weight and see if he had packed to little or to much, and turned to his younger sister, "Hey Cass I have a favor to ask you, something you have to promise me ok?"

There it was again, that worried voice, the same one from last night that was really starting to worry Cassandra, "What is it?"

"While I'm gone I don't want you going down by the Kazekage tower, especially not with the dogs, and not alone either," he ordered her.

"Does this have anything to do with why they were going nuts last night," Cassandra asked cocking an eyebrow, "And the fact that you suddenly got all jumpy around the Kazekage? I don't get it a lot of people are afraid of him but I don't get why, I mean the guy did seem kind of creepy, but old Mr. Kagoshima down the street is creepy too but you don't see people running in fear of him."

"Ya well the Kazekage has a little bit more to him then spitting on your feet like Kagoshima, believe me the guy is dangerous and I don't want you around him," Hale brother warned her in an serious voice that was oddly out of character for him, "Definitely not after he glared at you for bringing Kobi and Cori. Anyway I have to get going now or I will be late for my mission."

Cassandra followed her big brother downstairs and to the door with a slightly worried expression, "I didn't expect you to leave this early, have you had any breakfast?"

Hale pulled a breakfast protein bar from his pocket and waved it in front of his sister's face before he slipped on his sandals and quickly gave her a goodbye hug, "I'll be back in about two weeks, tell dad I said bye, and I'll see you both when I get home."

"Bye Hale."

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Gaara was bored out of his mind, he had spent most of the day as the Kazekage arranging D ranked missions for Genin, and then after he had finished all the required paperwork Gaara headed back home to find Temari and Kankuro playing a silly video game in the living room. Well what could he expect since they too had run out of things to do in between missions when they had unstructured leisure time, and the last thing Gaara wanted to do on a Saturday was stick around and watch his siblings do something so trivial as a video game.

Deciding he had seen enough of Kankuro getting whipped at '_Mario Smash Bros_' the red headed Kage got up to leave.

"Where you going Gaara," Temari asked still clicking the attack button like crazy on her controller to hit Kankuro's player repeatedly until he flew right off screen and hit the camera with a loud cartoon crash.

"Out," he replied dully.

"Ok just try and be back in time for supper Gaara you haven't been eating much lately don't think I haven't noticed," she answered absently continuing to kick Kankuro's butt no matter how hard he tried.

'_Ya I'll rush right back here for Temari's cooking,'_ Gaara thought sarcastically as he headed out the door.

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After a full say of doing absolutely nothing young Cassandra decided it was about time for her to go outside and get some fresh air. Since her father was working as usual and her brother was gone on a mission it was only she and the dogs had to do so grabbing the dogs' leashes she slipped on your jacket and headed out the door. Cassie had told her big brother she wouldn't go near the Kazekage tower, and she wasn't even planning on it, a lot of the time the dogs decided to lead her around the suburbs of Sunagakure far out of the way of downtown.

It was starting to get late and the sun had almost set, only an idiot walks their dogs in the middle of the day in a scorching desert, in the evening it was still light out but at least it was much cooler.

Iwate Cassandra took a deep breath of fresh air as the dogs padded along beside her down the Suna streets and smiled looking down at their oblivious happy looking faces. Cori looked up at her for a moment before quickly joining Kobi, her brother, who was trotting ahead sniffing desperately for something.

'_Probably just a cat around here somewhere,'_ the girl thought taking only a mild interest in the fact that they seemed to be on edge like the night before when they had been around the Kazekage. She also didn't pay any attention to their growling and soft barking as they searched for the source of the scent they were following, "Calm down you two I'm not in the mood for this again after last night. My shoulder still hurts from it."

Not paying any attention to what his master was saying Kobi started snarling angrily and began pulling violently enough on his leash to make Cassandra loose your grip. Since Cori was smaller than her brother Kobi she was able to keep a hold on her but Cori still wasn't about to let her older brother Kobi run off somewhere without her without a fight. Even if it meant taking poor Cassie along for the ride.

"Cori!" Cassandra yelled trying to run and keep up with the dog that was dragging her along on the chase for god knows what, "Kobi get back here!"

The dogs ignored her and continued to lead her further from her home and into the outskirts of town until Cassandra saw a figure standing in the middle of the darkened street.

Completely embarrassed that her dogs were acting in such a way towards a complete stranger the young girl made one last desperate call to Kobi in an attempt to stop him, "KOBI GET BACK HERE!"

The dog halted but she had a hunch that it was not because she called him, she knew that snarling hunched over stance Kobi was taking, it was the same thing Kobi did when a burglar had attempted to break into the Iwate household five years prior and let's just say no one had attempted than feat it since. So instead of Cori dragging Cassandra into the scene she started running up to the scene to stop it with Cori just as Kobi was about to pounce on the poor young man.

Cassandra tossed aside Cori's leash since it was always Kobi who did the attacking and ran to try and grab his leash. In the rush you couldn't find that so you ran in front of your dog instead just in time for Kobi to jump, Kobi of course would never hurt his master so he slowed down enough to only jar her slightly, but what caught Cassandra off guard was a the defense from the young man that was to powerful to stop just by standing in front of it. She would take the hit that was meant for her dog to take…

She turned just in time to catch a glimpse of sand before a large amount hit her in the side with incredible force making Cassie trip over Kobi. Both of her dogs immediately came to their master's aide, sniffing her to see if she had been hurt, and big Kobi who had finally gotten the hint not to attack still snarled angrily at the stranger.

Moving was difficult even after the sand had drawn back to where ever it had come from, it had hit her fairly hard, but thankfully she didn't break anything. And as Cassie was sprawled on the ground trying to figure out what the hell had just happened she got her first good look at who her dogs tried to attack.

He was a young man, not much older than Cassandra herself, with messy dark red hair and a gourd strapped to his back. He stood there staring down at the injured girl with a slightly angered expression and Cassie couldn't help but notice the 'Ai' symbol above his left eye. And of course those angry sea green eyes of his were unforgettable, especially the dark circles around them, the young man was none other than the Kazekage.

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Before Gaara knew it his sand had acted of its own accord to protect the young man no matter if it was just a meager threat like a dog. But then that blasted girl decided to get in the way and she took the hit meant for the dog to take, not lethal hit mind you, but she was visibly in pain as she lay on the ground with her furry companions. Gaara couldn't help but think she was a fool trying to save a dog; it was only an animal, not even worth risking her life for.

She looked up at Gaara with her wide green eyes mopped with a mess of dark hair for a moment as she clutched her injured side before she staggered to her feet, "Susimasen I don't know what has come over my dogs they are usually much better behaved than this Kazekage-sama."

(A/N: Ok so _Susimasen_ sorry, kind of like gomen, but I'm not using that so just sit and deal with it ok? Good now we can get on with the show!)

Gaara was slightly surprised, not that she could recognize him and his title without the Kazekage robes, but that when she spoke her voice never quivered or wavered in fear. She did wince once in pain which he had expected but her large child like eyes made firm and almost confident eye contact with the raccoon boy and also showed no hint of fright only slight pain from being struck.

'_She obviously hasn't heard about what I am,'_ the young Kazekage thought bitterly, _'either that or she is stupid enough not to believe it.'_

"I should really be getting home its getting late," she said softly grabbing firm hold of both the leashes attached to her dogs' collars and gave the best bow she could considering the hit she just took. Gaara found it amazing she could even still stand, "Sayonara Kazekage-sama."

She had to limp away, she didn't do it hurriedly to get away as fast as she could like anyone else would have, and she just seemed more embarrassed that her dogs had gone ballistic in front of someone so important to Sunagakure. The petite girl even gave a small shy smile to Gaara before turning around to leaving, there was no way she knew about the Shukaku, and even if she had only casually heard about it no one would ever smile like that towards Sabaku No Gaara.

No wonder she had no fear the girl was totally oblivious, or very stupid, either way Gaara was a bored teen whose curiosity had just been peaked by a very strange, and obviously a dog loving, girl. As he watched the girl limp off, the female of the dog walking close to make sure she was ok and the male repeatedly glaring back at him, he decided to do a little investigation just to find out how oblivious the girl was.

If she really had no fear of him he would quickly be able to change that.

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**Ok I hope you all enjoyed the story, its going to start going in later chapters I promise, my first few chapters are often a little slow.**

**School will be starting soon for me so after that I might only be able to update on weekends, but don't worry I will have another chapter or two before then! It all depends on how many more reviews I get.**

**You comments and thoughts are important to me,**

**So review or I shall eat your soul,**

**Starchip13**


	3. Don't Scream

**Chapter #3**

**Don't Scream**

**Disclaimer:** **Ok not much has changed in this factor the last few days, so no; I still do not own Naruto and Co. And certainly not Smexy Gaara-kun … great now look what you have done now I am depressed.**

**I am so proud of myself, I have another chapter up! **

**Ok so we all know Gaara-kun is virtually fluffless so it will take some time for him to warm up to Cassandra, he won't just let his guard down to easily, and it bothers me when people instantly make him so trusting when the characters first meet.**

**So let us just put an end to my usual rambling and get on with the chapter ok?**

**Enjoy.**

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By the time Cassandra had arrived home after being injured there was light flooding out from the living room window signaling that her father was home. Normally not a problem, but her father had a strange over protective thing he did ever since her mother died. She knew he meant well but sometimes it was suffocating and at other times rather annoying, but he was her father and she loved him no matter how annoying he was at times.

'_Great all I need after being embarrassed in front of the Kazekage is my father flipping because I come home with a bad bruise and once scraped up arm,'_ Cassie sigh inwardly as she hesitated opening the door but Cori began whimpering and nuzzling her side to urge her to go an tend to her injuries.

"Alright girl I'll go in and fix myself up," she whispered scratching behind the loveable dog's ears. Cori had always been the gentle one and the 'motherly' one toward her adolescent master so she always seemed to know when Cassandra needed comforting while her bigger and much more hard headed brother Kobi was the more offensive type. They had always been there for Cassie, and she almost felt that if they were there she was untouchable, deep down Cassie knew it was false security but at least feeling security was better than none at all. At least it made it easier to sleep at night knowing that Cori and Kobi were in the hallway ready to scare away anyone on her property with ill intentions.

Cassie walked into the house noticing Kobi was still growling softly but dangerously so she gave his leash a firm tug to get him to walk inside.

Daichi walked out of the living room with his book when he heard his daughter Cassandra walk in and as soon as he saw her he gave a concerned look, "Cass you're sure home late. What on earth happened to your arm?"

Glancing down at her right arm Cassie scratched the back of her head nervously with her one good arm. When the sand had struck Cassie on the left side she took the impact of the ground on her right arm and gotten a few nasty looking cuts, "Oh I just got a little clumsy and tripped on the curb its nothing really."

"Looks more like you tried to cannonball off a curb to me," Cassandra's father said giving a disapproving shake of his head and led her into the kitchen to find some bandages for her injured arm. Cassandra didn't want to even think about how her father would have acted if he knew she had taken a nasty blow to her side, but it was not like she could tell him that sand attacked her and actually expect him to believe her, at least not that she knew of … yet.

Cassie ended up not telling her dad about the blow she took to the side but had no choice in allowing him to bandage her arm. The bandages reached all the way from her shoulder to her hand sort of reminding you how Hale always had his bandaged from such hard training. Since her father used to be the one to help him he had definitely gotten good at it over the years.

"Arigato dad I think I'll just go to bed now," the dark haired teen said tiredly while slipping another roll of bandaging in her pocket while her father wasn't looking. She did after all have a few ribs that still hurt like hell she had to fix up herself, "Good night dad."

"Just be more careful next time sweetie," Daichi whispered kissing Cassie on the forehead and giving a small worried smile, "You know you remind me of your mother more and more every day Cassandra, she would always get herself injured rescuing an animal or something silly, and of course no one can play the piano like you and your mother. You just so much like her…"

He said that a lot which was why Cassandra assumed he was so overly protective of her, she knew her father always blamed her mother's death on himself, which she didn't understand because cancer is in no way one's fault. And more than anything she just wanted to say to him so he could know that she was different from her mother, _'I'm not mom I'm Cassandra your daughter. We are not the same person.'_

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'_So this is where you live,'_ the raccoon demon boy thought hiding in the shadows of nearby buildings so the dark haired Iwate girl couldn't see him and downwind so those irritating dogs of hers couldn't pick up his scent. The larger dog still seemed to sense his presence faintly by the way he was still on edge with his fur standing on end but after getting his master hurt he wasn't about to attempt something like that again, Gaara had to admit the dog was fairly smart and knew in a fight against the Kazekage he stood no chance whatsoever of winning, but being as dumbly loyal as dogs are he would certainly die trying.

Gaara watched her enter the home obviously dead tired and still in pain, _'Stupid girl probably doesn't even realize that the sand that hit her was connected with me being there, she doesn't have a clue … but why the hell am I do damn interested?'_

Either way Sabaku No Gaara crept around to the side window that had a decent viewed in to the kitchen and listened in on their conversation, she ended up lying about how her arm got so scraped up, and not telling her father about the impact point on her side. Her mother was mentioned, her father looked so sad, and the fact that he didn't see any sign of a mother anyway led him to assume that either the mother had left or died. It was trivial to Gaara so he didn't think much about it, his curiosity solely rested with the girl who after stealing more bandages walked upstairs.

Using his third eye he was able to see inside the house and he followed her with the eye right upstairs to the bathroom, well that part was half accidental, but either way Gaara was still curious about why she didn't just tell her father about him being the one harming her. The only way he was going to figure that out was to figure out how her mind worked, and to figure out how her mind worked he had to observe her.

She lifted up her shirt only high enough to expose and especially nasty looking bruise that dominated her left side. She winced looking at it but it didn't stop her from quickly going to work putting muscle relaxants and other creams on it then bandaging the whole thing up to keep it warm to bring down any swelling.

After she was finished she took the shirt completely off and replaced it with a PJ shirt, she had switched it so quickly Gaara hadn't even had time to make his eye look away but she had obviously been wearing a bra so at least some things had been concealed from him. She changed into her PJ pants just as quickly but to Gaara's relief the PJ shirt was long and baggy enough to only give the red head a momentary flash of white cotton panties.

'_Kami don't let this turn me into my brother,'_ Gaara prayed watching her retreat to her room, close the door, and collapse onto her soft comforter laying on her bed, _'Now would be a good a time as ever to check things out…'_

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The petite teen was tired, sore, and battered and she needed sleep like nothing else on earth. Cassandra's bed felt like heaven as she buried her face in her pillow and almost immediately felt sleep begin to overtake her.

Cassandra was in that state between consciousness and sleep when she heard Kobi growling somewhere loudly in the house, but she paid little attention to that because of her fatigue, it was the fact that the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Just laying there with her eyes closed Cassandra was afraid to open them, it was funny she hadn't felt that way since she was three years old and thought there was a monster in her toy box.

Buckling down and swallowing hard Cassie opened her eyes and found herself relieved that no one was standing there, but there was still something bothering her so sighing she just gently pulled your knees into her chest and sat on her bed for a moment trying to get a grip on herself. Cassandra just had to keep assuring herself no one was in her room, and she was right, he hadn't technically entered her bedroom yet.

Hesitating Cassandra looked towards her window, her bed was against the wall right under it, and she jumped out of your skin seeing a pair of eyes angry green glaring at her from the other side of the glass. She tried to back away but she couldn't move – literally - she felt something around her ankles and wrists restraining her to the bed that stopped her from trying to escape as sand seeped through the corners of her window and unlocked it as though had a mind of its own. The window swung open without a sound and the intruder leaped in just as quietly and stood in Cassandra's room as more sand and pinned her to the bed and covered her mouth to keep her silent.

"Try and scream," the dark figure hissed, "and you're dead."

'_Not like I could even if I wanted to but I am really not in the position to point it out,'_ Cassie thought as the weight of the sand began to put tremendous pressure on her already sore body making her let out an involuntary whimper of pain.

The mysterious figure walked into the light of the moon through the window finally granting Cassandra a look at her attacker. She recognized the young red head's dark circled piercing sea green eyes and the symbol for Love above his left eye. He stood there in her room staring at Cassie with his stoic mask of a face and his arms crossed loosely across his chest.

The sand receded from her mouth slowly allowing Cassandra the freedom of extremely limited breathing, once she caught her breath she whimpered, "I'm tired I just want to sleep Kazekage-sama."

He glared at her for a moment, "You still don't seem to understand how easy it would be to kill you."

"I sort of caught that when your sand started crushing me," the pinned girl choked feeling it constrict on her body again.

"You're either sincerely brave or stupid, but with you I can't seem to figure it out."

"I haven't done anything to you," Cassandra pointed out feeling the sand constrict on her further ever so slightly, "What reason and what purpose do you have to kill me?"

"For all you know I could and I could kill you right now and not feel any remorse over it," stated the red headed boy.

"Could this seriously be toned down just a few notices I am tired and this sand itches in places that are very uncomfortable for me," Cassie yawned.

He glared at her now breaking the stoic mask into shards, "Why aren't you afraid?"

"Because fear is a reaction you get when you're fully conscious," Cassandra yawn with slight sarcasm feeling the sand retreat and set her down on the bed again and Cassie in turned pulled the covers over herself as the red headed Kazekage gave a soft growl and headed for the door, "My name is Cassandra by the way, Iwate Cassandra."

The young Kazekage only gave her a glance at acknowledged he even heard her.

"You know," the half asleep girl pointed out dully closing her eyes, "As the Kazekage you should already know when a girl introduces herself it's polite for you to do the same. Here I'll start for you: Hi Cassie nice to meet you may name is…"

His sea green eyes glowered at Cassandra for a moment, she didn't need her eyes open to know it, "Sabaku No Gaara."

"How appropriate … sayonara Gaara-sama," she yawned already half asleep, "Next time you want to act like a creepy psycho stalker don't be a stranger you can feel free to use the front door next time to deliver your death threats."

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**Ok I want some reviews people! It doesn't take that long to quickly write something so come on people I need to know if you like it or not.**

**All those who review get brand new shiny sporks!**

**Starchip13**


	4. Iwate san

**Chapter #4**

**Iwate-san**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co … how sad for me**

**Oh Sorry for the longer wait this time, my wireless internet totally rejected me at the worst moment (sob), believe me anything electronic hates my guts. Susimasen I would never make you wait on purpose my friends!**

**So since I am super nice to you here is another chappie for you all to enjoy**

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'_She must have hit her head she is completely insane,'_ Gaara thought opening his mouth to say something just before the weary girl turned over and let out a soft snoring noise, _'And the fact that she is sleeping might just have something to do with it too … Kami this girl is annoying why the hell do I even bother?'_

Feeling a tinge of irritation in the back of his mind Gaara turned to leave Cass's room but not before shooting one more annoyed glare over his shoulder, "I really do hate you stupid wench."

He knew he was strong when people still feared him, and then there were people like Cassandra who were too stupid to fear him, and for a reason he couldn't place it was really bothering him that she didn't. What the hell was going on in his head anyway? He had pretty much been through everything anyone could think of as a ninja, but it seemed Sabaku No Gaara skipped out on **'feelings and emotions 101'** as a kid. Go figure.

With that he left Cassandra fast asleep in her room, everything was as though Gaara hadn't even been there at all, the raccoon boy hoped with the tired and worn down state Cassie had been in she wouldn't remember him being there either, or at least think him visiting her and threatening to kill her was just a dream.

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The hot desert morning sun was what awoke Cassandra from a drop dead sleep and the petite teen yawned as she stretching out the kinks in her sore arm and side, "Wow I feel like I tried to rock climb in my sleep… wait a second…"

Cassie looked out her window suspiciously, _'was that real or just the pain killers I stole from dad last night…?'_

For a moment she was about to rule it out as a dream, at least until the sun struck the windowsill and Cassandra saw a fine layer of sand glistening like desert snow, Cassie was a very neat and tidy person so there was only one way there could be sand littering her bedroom. She smirked looking out the window to the village outside, "Nice try Gaara-sama but I'm not as stupid and clueless as you think."

Cassandra didn't have long to linger on the fact that the young Kazekage had come to give her threats the night before, every other Sunday she worked at the animal shelter, and that Sunday was the day she had to work. Poor Cassie would have to clean up the mess Gaara left at a later time but for right then if she didn't get dressed and ready soon she was going to be late. Cassandra left to go shower up with a smirk as she looked out the window, she would get Gaara back for leaving sand all over her room later.

As Cassandra was getting ready to leave Cori and Kobi came to bid their beloved master fair well, she gave them a playful wink, "If Gaara-sama decides to sneak in again I want you to be nice Kobi, and Cori try not to let him drag anymore sand around this house. Its going to be a big pain in the ass to try and vacuum later I can just tell."

Work had gone as usual, she cleaned up the kennels and fed the dogs before opening, she had the first few hours at the front desk before her co-worker came in and then Cassandra would go to finish her other chores elsewhere. It was hard work but it kept her in shape, after all piling wood outside in the sun, carrying around twenty pound sacks of dog and cat food, and trying to hold the big dogs still while she groomed them aren't tasks that don't take their toll on the human body by the end of the day. Who needs a young man to do the job when an energetic pint sized teen can do it in half the time on her own?

It was worth it though, Cassandra got to see lots of animals go to new homes, and she got to spend a lot of time with the animals. Most of all there was the vet that worked at the shelter named Fukui Daiki. He was about twenty-six years old, the classic tall dark and hansom with his neatly combed dark brown hair and black eyes, and possibly the most charming man on the face of the earth. Yes, Iwate Cassandra had a bit of a crush on him, but she was obviously much younger than he was and little cheerful Cassie always seemed to be the type of girl that guys wanted to be friends with not a girlfriend, just her luck (poor Cassie-chan…sigh). But she never let it get her down since she was often an optimist, so she had started working at the shelter and get used to working with animals since she wanted to be a vet too someday, and so she could admire Daiki from afar a couple days a week...

(A/N: I thought it would be an interesting idea for Cassie to have a little crush, she is a normal girl after all, and we all get crushes from time to time! Uh-oh looks like Gaara-kun will have a little competition and we all know he can have a slightly possessive nature…)

"Iwate-san you know your shift has already ended you can go home now," Daiki pointed out when he saw the ebony haired teenager still in the back kennels washing out cages.

Cassandra glanced at your watch, "Susimasen Fukui-san I apparently have a terrible perception of time lately, I just wanted to finish these up before I went home, and I'm on the last one right now I'll get my stuff in a second."

The fact that Cassie had been working for him for almost two years and he still didn't even call her 'Cass' or even 'Cassandra-san' yet sometimes bothered her, and with him referring to her so properly she obviously didn't feel comfortable calling him 'Daiki-kun' or anything like that.

He gave a small smile, "You know this is probably why I recently hired Gina, why don't you let her take over since you are almost done anyway, you look worn out."

"I'm fine don't worry," assured Cassandra as she put her cleaning supplies away and head out the door, "I'll see you on Tuesday Fukui-san."

Cassie left in quite a hurry; she always got a little flustered around Daiki, she just scrambled to grab her hat and purse from the front desk and only gave her co-worker Gina a quick goodbye before heading out the door.

Cassandra's father was working the latest shift as his restaurant as usual so she only had her loyal dogs to greet her like before; though this time Cassie managed not to get knocked to the ground like last time. She was a little worn out so she changed into her pajamas and went to do the one thing that really relaxed her other than a good book, the piano sitting in the living room.

Later Cassandra sat at the piano bench and pulled out a large notebook filled with loose leaf piano paper and other notes. That was something else Cassie liked to do in her spare time was write songs, she played other songs as well, but when she was alone the midnight haired young woman found it was a fun way to spend her time before starting supper. Cassandra's mother had enjoyed it to before she died, it had been her job, and a lot of her old work was kept safe inside the piano bench even though no one ever played them anymore. She could remember her mother's songs being fantastic and beautiful with lyrics like gold and her singing had been flawless. Cassie was fair at it, she had made a few nice songs she was proud of and her singing voice was average, but she thought could never compare to how good her mother had been.

Ruffling through the papers she found a song she had been working on lately to try and work out the parts she didn't like. So far Cass had the sheet music and the chorus but the verses still needed to be worked out. It was very often tedious work but it did keep her mind occupied for hours and the songs she came up with sometimes amazed her.

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The night before Sabaku No Gaara had told himself that there was no way he would return to Cassandra's house, well, he ended up not keep that promise to himself. Gaara ended up going for a late afternoon walk that took him right by her house, so Gaara made a new promise that he wouldn't bother going in that time. The thing that peaked his curiosity to get you to go and at least look in the window was that he heard soft piano music coming from the living room.

Around back there was a sliding glass door Gaara could easily look into the living room through and see Cassandra playing at the piano, and playing it rather well to say the least. She would start playing a tune, the same few bars over and over, humming something softly, and sometimes writing it down on the ridiculously thick notebook she was reading out of. Then she would put the pencil between her teeth and play the next few bars. Sometimes she would repeat the same few bars numerous times trying to get it right, and more often than not she would keep coming back to one particular bar she was having trouble with. The look on her face clearly showed frustration when she couldn't figure out the line she wanted.

(A/N: I am obviously not going to write my own song just for this fic so I guess I should tell you that the song she is working on is _'Every Time We Touch'_ by Cascada. No real particular reason why I picked this song, it seems to fit well enough, and I like techno-like songs to it sounds really good to me. Ok rant over, now back to the story…)

"I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me," she murmured jotting down more notes, "I still feel your touch in my dreams…"

And of course those troublesome dogs of hers were lying down by the bench listening to her music, young Gaara found himself hating those stupid animals of hers, the male dog Cassandra called Kobi would always seem to sense when he was nearby. That time was no different, that blonde haired dog lifted its head almost lazily for a moment to sniff the air before the hair on his back stood on end and it got to its feet. It growled in a low tone at the sliding glass searching for the red headed Kazekage.

'_I'm going to kill that dog someday if it's the last thing I do,'_ thought Gaara bitterly giving a slight frustrated growl as he turned to leave, the last thing he wanted was to give that girl that satisfaction of knowing she was right when she said he would be coming back.

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Kobi started up again with his viscous growling and Cassandra knew there was only one person Kobi hated to such an extent. Cassie just calmly put all her personal music away (her music had been the only thing she had never been confident about), she hated letting people hear them since she was almost ashamed you couldn't live up to her mother, and brought out something different that she thought maybe someone like Gaara would enjoy listening to better.

Flipping open the lock on the sliding glass door casually since the piano was close enough to it Cassandra didn't even have to get out of her seat, "I guess the back door is an improvement over my window, I guess I should probably introduce you to the concept of _knocking_ next."

After she looked away toward her piano Cassie heard the sliding glass door open on its own – with the use of Gaara's sand of course - Cassandra didn't even hear footsteps but she could definitely feel his glare on her back and hear Kobi continue to snarl viciously. Cassandra just smiled lightly, poised her hands over the keys to begin, and began playing the sheet music she had pulled out.

"You are much too oblivious," Cassie heard Gaara mutter behind her back followed by a long silence. It seemed that Gaara was actually listening to her music, there was something you really didn't see everyday.

Cassandra smiled again, "It's called the Moonlight Sonata if you were wondering it's by Beethoven."

"I don't care," he stated bluntly as usual.

Her hands going slightly ridged Cassie stopped playing and looked at him, as usual he was scowling, "Susimasen, most people like this song, I guess my playing isn't very good then is it? I'll stop if you want me to."

Gaara just stared at her for a moment with his usual unreadable expression before turning to leave and muttering under his breath, "Stupid troublesome wench."

"Goodbye to you too Gaara," Cassandra called back watching him walk outside and practically disappear in a whoosh of sand right in front of her eyes.

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**Yay so many new reviews since I have been gone I am so happy! **

**(Begins waving a spork around like a scepter)**

**Now I command you fellow and Gaara-kun fans review! Review I say! Buhaha!**

**(Cough, cough) **

**Thanks all' I appreciate it!**

**(Possible split personality … Oo)**

**Starchip13**


	5. Gaara's Frustration

**Chapter #5**

**Gaara's Frustration**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co so stop asking, I am just exploiting the show's characters for my own twisted (and soon to be evil) fantasies.**

**Yay a new chapter! I am just so happy, I really wasn't sure how many people would read this, and I am happy to find that it actually isn't doing bad (translation: more reviews or the authoress shall destroy you all with her almighty spork of doom!)**

**Quiz time! What are pretty much the only emotions Gaara ever shows in the series?**

**Answer: anger, or nothing at all!**

**Having himself a person that he can't control through fear really pisses off poor Gaara-kun because he doesn't understand any other emotion, (ex: longing, true love, and you know the rest…) and Gaara doesn't like it when he feels these emotion and has no ways of explaining them so he lashes out at the source (Cassandra). Thus his harshness for those who were wondering why he seemed unusually angry at times in this fic.**

**Thank you for bringing it up so we could all listen to my logic about the inner workings of Gaara's mind!**

**Ok rant over! ENJOY THE CHAPPIE! **

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Her eyes, they were what bothered Gaara the most at that moment; at the moment she turned around and openly gave him of all people an apology. Not only had she clearly not done anything but those wide green eyes of hers told him she had been sincere when she had said it, and what was more unusual about her was that her eyes didn't even hold a hint of fear or hate in them. Gaara's siblings, his uncle, and even his own father had feared the young boy in some way shape or form but that one odd girl didn't. Not even after he had hurt her, and threatened her life all in the same night.

Gaara had thought about it a lot the week and a half he absolutely refused to go to her house again, it made him restless, and when he was restless he often got frustrated. He had to force himself to stay inside the house at all costs, he knew that if he left he'd end up at her house once again and only get even more irritated at himself, Gaara was really started to hate her.

"Something wrong Gaara," Kankuro asked seeing his younger brother pacing back and forth across the house like a caged animal, "You seem sort of on edge."

"Nothing's wrong," he growled bitterly

Temari's eyebrow cocked slightly as she gave him a questioning look, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he insisted sitting out on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, "Will both of you just get off my back? My business is my own."

Kankuro sat down next to the vexed young Kazekage while Temari sat on his other side to prevent him from just walking away from them and Kankuro said, "You know what Temari I bet it's a girl."

"How-" Gaara quickly stopped himself from saying anything else but it was to late Kankuro already had that stupid looking triumphant grin plastered all over his face. He shot back with a say-on-word-and-you're-so-dead look but that only made Temari get the exact same look on her face.

Gaara's brother's smirk widened, "I was kidding but this is just too good!"

"What's her name Gaara," Temari asked in a sing-song voice.

The redhead just got to his feet and tried to walk away but they followed him, "Leave me alone or I will kill you."

"Aw come on Gaara it was about time you started thinking about girls now tell us her name and how cute she is," Kankuro whined in one of his most annoying voices.

"I do not like that stupid girl," Gaara spun around snapping at his siblings making them jump back a few feet after seeing his face red with anger, "She has got to be the most annoying creature ever and she just plain pisses me off!"

The grins on his sibling's faces had definitely disappeared; they still feared him it was not that hard to tell.

"You've never had a girl that was on your mind and made you act like that before," Temari muttered walking back to the living room with Kankuro not looking back at Gaara, "and you tend to get angry at things if you don't know what they are."

It took quite a bit of will power not to hurt Temari after that smart-alecky comment and Gaara finally decided he couldn't stand it anymore. He walked up to the roof and he sat there for a long time just staring at the sky like Gaara usually did and just fumed for a while.

'_How dare they even imply anything about me and that stupid girl,'_ he glared into space.

(A/N: ok the Shukaku's voice in Gaara's mind will be displayed like this ok? Good back to the story!)

Why don't you just kill this girl and put an end to it?

Gaara scowled, he loathed admitting it when that dense raccoon was right, but he did bring up a point. Why didn't he just kill her and finish it once and for all? Gaara never had trouble killing people before, he had every intention of killing her the other night, but something had held him back. It was part of the reason he was so angry, the Kazekage couldn't show any weakness, if he couldn't kill a simple girl at least could to give her a the sense of fear she lacked.

It would be simple enough, just walk into her house while everyone is sleeping, silence that blasted dog, and put an end to her once and for all. Unless you don't think you can handle something that simple.

'_Shut up bastard raccoon,'_ Gaara ordered in his mind, _'I don't need you to tell me what to do.'_

Then stop stalling and do something I'm tired of your stupid emotions cluttering up your mind. Ever since you met that girl your head has been a hell to live in, whatever you're feeling, end it.

'_I said SHUT UP,'_ Gaara clenched his fists to tightly his knuckles turned white, '_I'm going to kill her, you don't have to worry about that.'_

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Cassandra hadn't seen Gaara for quite some time, it seemed to her that he wasn't coming back at all, but it was not like she had much time to spare to hear his threats (not that she listened to them much to begin with). Her father had asked her if she was available to work a few extra shifts at the restaurant which on top of the animal shelter had she was stretching right out thin for time and rest. Cassandra didn't have a day off to catch up on relaxation either, no time to play the piano, barely even enough time to sleep and regain the energy she lost while working so hard.

The restaurant was especially busy and she was almost running from the kitchen to the tables to try and keep up with the overwhelming amount of people entering the restaurant. By the end of the day Cassandra's feet were sore, and her arms were beginning to weaken so much they were shaking when she held the trays.

That night she got home late from the shelter and decided it was about time she read more of her textbooks. They were study guides for Cassie's training in becoming a vet just like Daiki, she had been neglecting it for a while because of her hectic schedule, but the fact still remained that she needed to get it done. Cassandra spent hours reading them on the couch until she fell asleep.

Cassandra's elder brother Hale came home that night accompanied by her father chatting rather loudly until they spotted the petite sleeping teen on the couch. They went quiet both smiling at the youngest member of their small family and her sheer determination to be able to do everything at once.

"She had been talking about how she wanted to welcome you home too for a couple days now," Daichi whispered taking the book from Cassandra's hands and marking the pages for her, "Today was a busy day at the restaurant though so I guess it couldn't be helped. She looked like she was about to collapse earlier today."

"Hey dad check this out," Hale laughed coming out of the kitchen carrying a small cake that had the words 'Welcome Home' written on it in homemade icing, "Looks like she did get to welcome me home after all."

Daichi picked up his ebony haired daughter bridal style still chuckling softly as he took her up to her room and tucked her in, "She must have baked it as soon as she got home. Cass really is so much like your mother it's scary."

The next morning when Cassandra woke up it was late morning. She looked lazily at the clock realizing that she was already late for her shift at the animal center and she scrambled to get out from under the covers, grab her cloths, and comb her hair out when the world began to spin around her.

It made Cassandra stagger slightly and she had to grab her dresser to steady herself and her stomach lurched, _'I got up to quickly … I can't let it slow me down I need to get to work or everyone will worry.' _

Cassandra's brother was still sleeping after arriving home late last night and her father was already working so Cassandra left quietly without having time to grab breakfast. If she didn't get going and run to work right then she would end up being over an hour late for her job and she was way too job oriented to let that happen.

"Iwate-san I need you to hurry it up a bit more with grooming those dogs you're taking twice as long as you usually do," Daiki Fukui called from his office seeing Cassandra had not even half way finished her chores after arriving almost an hour late, "I don't know what is up with you today Iwate you're usually such a good worker I am really disappointed."

"Susimasen Fukui-san I woke up late this morning," Cassie murmured.

"Well I'll get Gina to finish up this for you so you can run a few errands for me maybe you just need a change of pace," he said turning around and heading back out the kennel area to get Gina.

Cassandra hung her head and pulled her sweater in closer to her chilled skin, for some reason she felt so frigid goosebumps had started forming on her arms (this is saying a lot for a desert village), feeling slow, heavy, and her head was still spinning like a top. Cassie didn't know what was going on as she put the dog she had been grooming back into his cage and got to her feet because a rush of a sickly nauseous feeling just completely washed over her. Cassandra's legs wobbled dangerously as she stumbled out to the front, she tried to walk as strait as possible, but that was easier said than done.

Stumbling into the front where Daiki was talking to her coworker Cassandra had to cling to the door handle and look up at her boss, "F-Fukui-san…"

Everything went black as she passed out.

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**Oo Cassie-chan is sick and Gaara-kun is out to get her. How will it turn out? Only I know hehe! If you want to find out what happens next you just have to leave a simple review, thoughts, sudjestions, constructive criticism, and in my case any grammar, spelling, and so on errors I may have missed while editing. **

**HAIL THE ALMIGHTY SPORK!**

**Starchip13 **


	6. Fine, I'll Be a Monster

**Chapter #6**

**Fine, I'll Be a Monster**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**(Nervous laughter) Yes I may be just a smidge overdue (only a smidge) and due to severe nagging (cough – Pyropixie – cough) I decided it was about time I edit my next chapter since this authoress has been maybe a little lazy about updating the last few days. (Not my fault I spent this weekend with my dad so bite me!)**

**ENJOY OR ELSE **

**(Yes that is a threat u heard me right buhaha!)**

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That night Gaara was going to end it, it would be the last night he would have to even look at her, his frustration would completely end. He was heading to her house, a scowl plastered on his face as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop; Gaara was not going to change his mind no matter what.

"Come on Iwate-san wake up," a voice said from down in the street catching the redhead's attention. Gaara glanced down seeing an older dark haired man carrying Cassandra piggyback style down the street. She was obviously unconscious, she was sickly pale looking with a red hue to her cheeks, something was wrong with her, "Damn it if you were so sick why did you come to work!"

Now is your time baka! She is to sick to fight back and that guy is not a ninja he can't stand up to you.

Yet again the Shukaku made his point, _'No I'll wait if I kill her now that idiot will go running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He'll take her to her house and put her in her room, when he's gone I'll kill her and leave.'_

You're just trying to stall.

The dark haired man had carried her all the way home and since he had no free hands he kicked the door. Her brother Hale answered the door and the two of them carried her inside and up to her room where they tucked her into bed. There was a lot of head shaking and conversation that didn't really catch Gaara's interest as he waited for them to leave the room. Time passed and he was pretty impatient by the time Hale and the other man went downstairs into the kitchen for something to drink.

'_Now,'_ the young Kage thought, his sand slipping through the window and opening it to allow his easy entry into the Iwate house.

Sabaku No Gaara loomed over the small figure snuggled underneath a mountain of bulky blankets with his sand pulsing around him. She stirred slightly, for a moment he wondered if she sensed his presence, but Gaara pushed the thought quickly out of his mind, even if she had known he was there she was sick and wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Indeed she was very sick, her cheeks were scarlet, she was shivering, and Gaara only had to get close to feel the heat of a high fever radiating off of her. She shifted around a lot and her eyebrows furrowed, she was beginning to wake up, _'I should finish her off … now.'_

"My head hurts," she murmured surprising the raccoon boy slightly, her eyes hadn't even opened yet, "Where am I?"

The last thing Cassandra remembered was being at the shelter but for a long time everything was black, and the petite ebony haired teen felt herself shivering from a constant chill under her skin. Cassandra felt like the ice under her skin wouldn't go away no matter how many blankets she could fell around her and on top of that her head felt lighter than a balloon. Cassie could also feel for some reason a presence close by her, it was almost like an aura, something that could prominently make itself know to her even in her the state between sleep and consciousness.

When whoever it was didn't answer her she somehow found the strength to open her eyes and immediately Cassie's first thought was '_I should have guessed'_ and she couldn't help but give him a small weak smile, "Konichiwa Gaara-sama."

The irked redhead scowled at Cassandra and sand stirred around signaling his bad mood but he didn't say anything.

Cassandra was pretty woozy and not in her right mind at the time so whatever had been in her mind was going to come out, that was one of the obvious signs that she were sick that her brother looked out for, Cassandra was quite the talker, more so than usual when ill. Cassie smiled and closed her eyes for a minute to try and will away her nausea, "You know Gaara-sama even when I first met you I always thought there was something about your eyes that caught my attention. At first I thought it was anger but to me now it almost seems like … loneliness."

Gaara only gave a small almost frustrated sounding growl as a thin layer of sand washed over top of the half asleep girl and the blankets putting a heavy weight on her.

Cassie's breathing had been labored to begin with so the weight of the sand definitely wasn't helping her any, but she still somehow found the strength to open her eyes and see an angered Gaara glowering down on her, "You don't have to be lonely you know."

"You should learn when to keep your mouth shut," Gaara seethed putting more pressure on top of Cassandra with his sand, "Don't assume to know anything about me stupid little girl."

"I'm not assuming anything I'm insinuating they are two completely different terms so maybe you should try picking up a dictionary sometime Gaara-sama," that was the wrong thing to say since the pressure was getting almost unbearable and suddenly restricted her breathing, "Why do you always insist on doing this when I don't feel well? Why never when I feel more up to this…"

"I told you that I could kill you and it would mean nothing to me and tonight I will prove it," he replied coldly.

Evidently the dogs had been barking madly outside Cassandra's bedroom door when they sensed Gaara's dangerous presence in the house but neither of them had seemed to notice until they heard two sets of feet thundering up the stairs to see what was wrong. It took them a great deal of time to try and get through the door because Gaara's sand was holding it shut but soon after it seems they lost patience (they must have seen sand pouring out from under the door) and a small sizzling sound could be heard from behind the wood of the door.

"Be careful its an exploding note," Cassie whispered, it was likely a weak one note, one that would simply take out her door and not destroy the house. Gaara seemed unconcerned.

The bomb gave a small explosion that pushed the door forward and the sand that had once been guarding the door drew back to defend its user and surprisingly Cassandra as well.

Cassandra's brother stood in the doorway with the dogs, and Daiki by his side yelling, "Get away from her you bastard!"

Gaara just scowled at the two of them, "If you get in my way I'll kill you."

"What the hell do you want with Cassandra you bloodthirsty monster," Daiki demanded, Cassie would have been thrilled at him finally using her first name if he had not been holding a kunai with intent to use it on Gaara.

"Monster," Gaara's voice was cold and harsh when he said the word, he gave a glance back at Cassandra for a moment with his usual unreadable mask before this sand separated her from the sheets and lifted her into the air, "fine if you want a monster then I'll be one. If you follow me the girl dies."

Before Hale or Daiki could protest Gaara turned and jumped out the window with incredible speed, the sand took Cassie along close behind at an equally surprising speed, and the cold air rush hitting her as they traveled was definitely not helping Cassandra's head and the fact she had a fever. Her head was pounding and her stomach churned so much she was barely aware of her surroundings so she had no idea where Gaara was taking her or why.

It wasn't long before Gaara slowed his pace and Cassandra saw the door of a building before the sand push it open and Gaara stormed inside. When Cassie faintly heard the sand closing the door again the sand pulled back into his gourd dropping poor Cassie like a rag doll on the floor where she sat stunned for a few minutes waiting for the ceiling to stop spinning so fast.

"Hey Gaara you're home," Cassandra heard an unfamiliar male voice call as footsteps came in through from the other room, since she still couldn't see strait Cassandra could only go on what she could hear around her, and what she heard were the heavy footsteps of the unfamiliar person stop for a moment before saying, "Who is the girl?"

If Gaara had responded sick little Cassie didn't hear it because all she heard were his footsteps heading up stairs and getting fainter while the other person walked over to Cassie yelling, "Hey Temari get in here!"

There were more hurried footsteps as a female voice said, "What on earth is going on in here?"

"I don't know Gaara just went up to his room he just dropped this girl here."

"Oh my god is she alright she doesn't look to well," Cassandra heard the girl say as she put her hand on her forehead, "Kami it feels like she's on fire. Miss are you ok? What's you're name?"

"M-my name … I-I'm," Cassandra was going to answer when she felt a new rush of nausea, "I'm going to be sick…"

"Whoa, whoa kid not here," the boy seemed slightly panicked.

"Go grab the garbage pail then baka hurry up," the girl snapped.

Cassandra gagged feeling the contents of her stomach come up and she tried to hold it back but there was not much use in it because it was coming up either way. Lucky for her someone thrust a bucket in front of her so she wouldn't just puke all over the floor. The bitter taste of bile passed Cassandra's lips and her stomach heaved into the pail until there wasn't anything left to bring up.

"So what the hell do we do," Cassie heard the boy ask in a half sigh of relief that she hadn't puked all over the floor, "We don't even know who the hell she is and she is in no condition to tell us."

"You can make yourself useful by going to get something to bring her fever down," the girl snapped, "I've got a pull out couch in my room I'll take her there so maybe she can sleep off some of this sickness."

Cassandra tried not to but it couldn't be helped. She blacked out once again.

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**Damn things are screwed up now aren't they? Cassandra is at Gaara's home (I think poor Gaara got his feelings hurt aw), she's to sick to go anywhere, and our favourite red headed Kazekage is still angry because of a conflict in his mind about her. Ah the teen drama … well sort of … (shrug) I am so amused writing this, I think I enjoy writing this more than I probably should lol!**

**Oo what will happen next? ONLY I KNOW! **

**Thanks for your reviews I really appreciate it!**

**Starchip13**


	7. Give me a Chance

**Chapter #7**

**Give Me a Chance**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co!**

**Yay another update! **

**I am so proud of myself I actually think I am having more fun than I should writing this. Well I don't know how to classify this chapter … it could be considered minor fluff, but basically this is one of the few times Cassie-chan will be anywhere close to serious and non-sarcastic. Yes, it is a little OOC for her, but she'll definitely revert back to normal right after!**

**ENJOY!**

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Talk about daja vu, that had been the second time Cassandra passed out in what she guessed had been maybe twelve hours, and that wake up call hadn't been much better than the last. Cassie's head still hurt, she was nauseous even though she didn't have anything left in her stomach, and she was generally achy all over.

Cassie squinted her glassy green eyes open to see where she was and found she didn't recognize it in the slightest. She was in a room painted and decorated in soft toned colours, mostly pink and beige, and obviously a girl's room if she was to judge by the bottles and sticks of makeup sitting on the dresser drawers in front of a large the vanity mirror. There was a bed in the far corner and Cassie was cocooned in the blankets of a pull out couch.

A girl with her blonde hair pulled into four spiky ponytails walked in setting her giant fan against the wall by the door before she noticed Cassie's gaze on her, "So you're awake, you've been out since last night, its almost lunch now."

"Where am I," Cassandra asked in a weak voice.

"The Kazekage's home," she stated simply kneeling beside the bed and sticking a thermometer in Cassandra's mouth, "Keep this under your tongue for a little bit will you? I need to check your temperature."

Cassandra squinted again trying to remember what had happened last night but she had been so out of it everything was fuzzy, "How did I get here?"

"Well I don't know many of the details myself since Gaara refuses to come out of his room and personally I would love to live another sixty or so years," the blonde girl sighed, "I'm Temari by the way what's your name?"

"Iwate Cassandra," she murmured.

Temari took the thermometer out of Cassie's mouth and checked what it said, "Well your fever has definitely dropped from last night but you are still really warm. What on earth did you do to get this sick in the first place Cassandra?"

She just shrugged, "I guess I have been feeling out of it the last few days, but I only really thought anything of it this morning was it was the worst. I've been working double shifts at two jobs, little sleep, little food, so I guess my body really couldn't fight off infection."

Temari cocked an eyebrow, "Well I can tell you're well read, but either way I know this means you won't be going anywhere for a few days which means we'll have to notify your family. If you tell me their names I'll send Kankuro out with a message for them if you want."

"My father is Iwate Daichi he owns a restaurant downtown and my brother is a Chunin his name is Hale."

"So you're related to Hale? I thought the name sounded familiar," Temari nodded before turning to the door, "If you feel up to it you can come downstairs with me for food."

Cassandra nodded, and staggered out of the bed since her sense of balance was slightly off, she was definitely hungry, but there was something else she needed to do first, "Uh … Temari where is your bathroom?"

"Just down the hall," Temari motioned, "Fifth door on the left."

"Arigato," Cassie responded walking down the hall.

To bad for little Cassandra that her sickness completely screwed up her perception of left and right – and most other senses for that matter - for that spur of a moment, normally it wouldn't have been that big of a mistake, chances were great in such a big house that Cassandra would simply walk into a spare bedroom by accident. Then after realizing her mistake she would have simply corrected it by closing the door and searching for the bathroom again. Well the room she did walk into a bedroom by accident wasn't a spare room, it belonged to someone, and not just anyone but Sabaku No Gaara's room.

At first Cassandra couldn't even see a thing since the lights were off and heavy curtains were drawn so she began feeling around for a light switch until she realized her feet were cemented to the floor. The door to the room mysteriously closed behind Cassandra leaving her in complete darkness and unable to move.

"What the hell are you doing in here," a cold voice snapped.

Immediately Cassandra recognized the voice, "Gaara-sama is that you? I'm sorry but I must have walked into the wrong room I was looking for the bathroom."

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness but when Cassie could finally see somewhat she saw the sand wrapped around her ankles holding them firmly to the ground, and Gaara who was sitting comfortably on his bed. He sat on the far corner with his back against the wall and his gourd sitting beside him as he glared at Cassie through the darkness.

"Gaara-sama," Cassie whispered tilting her head slightly finally remembering some scenes from the night before, "Why did you bring me here?"

"To kill you," he stated flatly.

"Ya I thought so, you tried on a few different occasions."

The sand tightened considerably around Cassandra's thin and very much breakable ankles, "Why are you not afraid to die?"

She just shrugged, "I guess spending so much time watching a family member waste away in a hospital emergency ward sort of desensitizes you after a while. Plus there is the fact that I was told the Kazekage was supposed to protect the village not waste his time threatening to kill someone like me. I didn't figure I was important enough. I thought maybe I did something insensitive to make you angry with me, I wanted to apologies to you for a while if you were willing to talk to me again, so I'm sorry Kazekage-sama I hope you can forgive me."

The ebony haired girl gave a shallow bow, it was all she could do with a still spinning head and her feet held down to the floor.

Gaara had to admit her logic surprised even him, but what surprised Gaara even more was that Cassandra apologized to him, him of all people. She didn't even know what she was apologizing for and yet there she was literally facing down death and she was saying she was sorry.

"I really don't know whether to call you oblivious or just stupid," Gaara muttered making his sand release Cassandra's captive ankles, "You have to be the most infuriating girl I have ever met."

"Sorry," she apologized as she rubbed her sore ankles. She looked up at Gaara again with those wide green eyes of hers and tilted her head slightly to the side, "If you tell me what I am doing wrong I'll stop I promise."

All the red head could do was give a small growl of frustration; those eyes of hers were what were beginning to annoy him, almost as much as her unwavering oblivious outlook on everything around her in the world.

Cassandra got up and walked over to the bed, shuffling her feet since she couldn't see in the dark as well as Gaara could, and she sat on the edge of his bed and smiled that annoying cheerful smile she almost always had on, "Is it alright if I ask you a question Gaara-sama?"

"Whatever," he huffed.

"Why is it that you want me to be afraid of you," she asked curiously, "Does it have anything to do with your repeated attempts of killing me?"

"Because your stupidity is going to get you killed one day anyway, most people are afraid of monsters," Gaara growled at her turning his eyes away from her, Gaara really couldn't stand seeing those eyes of hers staring back at him.

'"_Monster",'_ Cassandra could remember hearing Gaara's voice the night before when he spoke to Daiki and her bother, _'"Fine if you want me to be a monster then I'll be one." I remember him saying that last night, he really meant it too, is that way his eyes always look so sad? If people think he is a monster, they would shun him they would hate him… I've only ever heard of the demon so I wouldn't know, but I can only imagine how lonely he must have been to be branded as a monster and hated by everyone. It has to be the worst feeling in the world to be so empty and to think you're unloved…' _

Swallowing hard Cassie crawled across the bed and turned Gaara's face back towards her gently with her hand so his angry sea green eyes were locked right on hers. She had to be brave to get so close to him of her own will, and she had to be a total idiot to touch him like that, "You know Gaara-sama I don't see a monster I see someone who is alone, and you shouldn't just assume that others don't know what it feels like to be alone, but you're never going to get rid of that feeling unless you let down your guard even a little bit or no one will ever be able to get close to you. And you'll just continue to feel alone."

"I love only myself and I kill to prove my existence," he stated flatly pushing her hand away and giving her a get-the-hell-away-from-me stare, "I learned that a long time ago and it has done well for me. Now GET OUT of my room."

Cassandra's expression dropped ever so slightly as she crawled off the bed and headed blindly for the door, though before she closed the door behind her, she had to ask one last question, "What happens if someday someone really wants to get close to you, what if they want to be your friend, maybe more? If you can only love yourself could you ever return anyone else's?"

Gaara's only response to Cassie was an even harsher glare and the sand stirring around his bed so with a small concerned sigh Cassie closed the door, _'I would be your friend Gaara if you'd give me a chance.' _

'_Stupid impudent wench how dare she have touched me,'_ Gaara's sand was creating small ripples from the power of his frustration and lack of patience with Cassandra. Gaara took a deep breath to try and calm himself down but her scent was all around him from her touching his face with her hand which made him angrier, _'I should have just killed her when I had the chance.'_

Why couldn't Gaara just get rid of her? She was just a girl after all, one annoying stupid little girl, it shouldn't have been so difficult just to buckle down and let his sand finish her off once and for all. Whenever Cassie looked at him with those damned eyes of hers and the recent oh-so-innocent-head-tilt were really starting to get on Gaara's nerves.

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**End-o-chappie!**

**I hope you all liked it, I thought it was really kind of sweet, I had to think for a bit how Gaara would react to having Cassie-chan _so_ close to him hehe! (Yes again I think I may be enjoying this way to much)**

**Review and you will be a friend forever of the almighty spork (bow to the spork)**

**Starchip13**


	8. Safe and Sound

**Chapter #8**

**Safe and Sound**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Thank you for the reviews everyone I really enjoy reading them! I'm sorry I know I promised to update weekly at least but my internet has been a real btch lately because of the crummy whether here.**

**This chapter is for my best friend XolilsquirtoX! Happy Birthday Shal!**

**ENJOY!**

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Cassandra didn't see Gaara for the rest of that day, evidently he had left the house to go do paperwork as the Kazekage, and since his sister Temari had the day off from being a ninja Cassandra had been sitting around watching movies with her all day which were mostly adventure and comedy movies.

"So," Temari began though bites of popcorn, "How much do you remember of what happened last night anyway."

"Bits and pieces, I was pretty out of it after all," Cassandra replied absently, "I remember my brother blowing up my door which I will kick his ass for as soon as I go home and I remember Gaara using his sand to pick me up and carry me out the window. I know I was at my job the first time I passed out anyway I think my boss may have carried me home since he was at the house when my door blew up … Hale is so going to pay if he damaged any of my things doing that…"

"Tell me about it if Kankuro even dared break down I'd use his head as the hammer to fix it with," Temari laughed.

The giant ape in the movie (they are watching King Kong) began climbing a tall building with a pretty young blonde girl in his hand. Cassie watched intently while sipping on a cup of instant soup (kind of like ramen), she sat snuggled under a mountain of blankets since she had chills from her flu, "This movie really depresses me, no matter how many times they remake it Kong always dies, that monkey was so good to the girl and he ends up falling off the top of the Empire State Building. Talk about appreciation for saving her from a dinosaur!"

Temari tossed a pillow at Cassie, "Hey how about shutting up for the person here who never got to see the end?"

"It's not like you have never been told the ending by someone or by some obscure joke in another movie," she chuckled throwing the pillow back just as Kankuro burst through the door. Temari ducked the pillow so it kept going until it hit Kankuro square in the face; evidentially Cassandra had thrown it fairly hard.

"Kami why the hell am I the one being punished for Gaara bringing you here," he yelled ducking behind the couch just in time to dodge a array kunai, "Cassandra call him off!"

"What on earth are you talking about-?"

"Alright puppet boy what the hell did that bastard brother of yours do with my sister," a voice cut Cassandra off, she realized immediately who it was before he even stormed in through the door and stopped cold to see her sitting comfortably on the couch with soup in her hand, "Cassandra?"

"You were expecting maybe Santa Claus," the sick girl asked cocking an eyebrow, "Hale why are you trying to kill Kankuro?"

Not answering Cassandra's question her brother ran over to her, along with her father who had obviously been waiting outside, and they both gave Cassie bone crushing death grip hugs.

"Crushing … no air … not breathing," she wheezed trying to pry away from her family-group-hug-o-death.

Daichi pulled away brushing some of Cassandra's hair out of her face, "Hale and I were looking all night for you after that beast kidnapped you, I feared the worst, I was afraid I'd lost my little girl … Cassandra boy do you have a fever are you feeling ok?"

"Nothing some soup and a depressing movie can't fix, I will however have to apologies to Fukui-san for not being at work for a few days while I get better," shrugged Cassandra before putting a finger in front of her lips to signal them to shush, "now come on you two Temari hasn't seen the end of this movie and she has to see exactly how Kong dies. She's being a little killjoy and not letting me say it out loud."

Hale's eyebrow twitched, "I swear that attitude of yours - that freaking unbothered attitude - it's going to make me snap at you one day Cassandra. You had no idea what we went through all night trying to find out where that monster took you."

Now it was young Cassandra's turn to do the eyebrow twitch of absolute annoyance, though hers was only slight and her voice was very strict. It sounded just so unlike Cassandra it was almost scary, "Could you call him by his name at least once? His name is Gaara if you didn't know it, he's the Kazekage after all so I think you should at least try and show him some respect, you of all people should know that Hale."

"Did you hit your head on your way out of that window," Hale grumbled.

"She is certainly her mother's daughter," Daichi sighed, "she is not only her image she acts just like her."

"Here we go again with memory lane," Cassie muttered under her breath, luckily no one heard that comment so she turned to Temari and sighed, "I doubt I'll be able to stay much longer, I'll return the pajamas as soon as I can ok? I'll be sure to wash them so you won't have to bother with it."

Cassandra gave a small nod and a smile as Hale picked her up piggyback style and headed out the door. Giving a small smirk she waved her arms around enthusiastically to give a dramatic affect as she recited one of the most famous lines of King Kong, "_It wasn't the fall that killed him, it was beauty killed the beast!_ You'll love that line its fantastic the way the actor says it, it makes you want to slap the bastard and congratulate his skills at the same time! Now onward almighty steed I need a cough candy like there is no tomorrow!"

"If you don't stop acting like a twit this steed will go on strike," drawled Hale.

Naturally Gaara had been listening from the next room when Cassandra's family came bursting through the door threatening his older brother Kankuro, not that he cared much, none of them really caught his interest. It was what Cassandra had said after they called Gaara 'beast' and 'monster', it was something he was used to and had learned to live with, but Gaara had never had someone actually stand up for him.

"Could you call him by his name at least once," Gaara heard her voice snapped sounding hard and authoritative for the first time since he met her. The sudden change in the way she spoke caught the young Kage's attention because for the first time since he had known her she sounded deadly serious, "His name is Gaara if you didn't know it, he's the Kazekage after all so I think that you should at least try and show him some respect, you of all people should know that Hale."

It almost amazed Gaara how much Cassandra had meant what she had said, at least until the part where she started quoting the movie she and Temari were watching and calling her older brother a steed, the little respect Gaara had actually gained for her almost dropped right back down to zero after that point. It was amazing how she could be oblivious one minute, then sweet and companionate like when she had been in his room, to dead serious, then back to oblivious and unfazed once again. She was certainly colourful and never ever boring.

For once Gaara didn't feel bored; that girl actually had given him more in life than just living for himself, and Gaara hadn't felt like someone had actually tried to reach out to him since his fight with Naruto during the Chunin exams back when he was a Genin. Naruto's method of getting at least some sense into Gaara was head butting him and leaving quite a nasty lump on his forehead for days after, but he still felt like that old pain was still deep inside his chest. Gaara was still lonely even if he did realize when he had something more than himself to fight for he could become stronger than even he thought possible. The Kazekage had never had someone to truly fight for, it made him feel weak, and so Gaara remained angry at the world at least until she came along.

'_Perhaps she … can help me to become truly strong,'_ Gaara thought, the only way he knew how to deal with things before was through anger and destruction, so when someone who actually believed in him tried to penetrate his lonely little world he got angry. She was the only one that never cowered in fear of that, and she was just a young girl.

(A/N: woot, woot breaks out tequila yes this is the beginning of Gaara's revelation, underline the word beginning, he may be starting to get feelings but Gaara has never really loved anyone but himself so how the hell would be know? Lol I rather do enjoy Gaara fic writing!)

"I told you I'm fine," insisted Cassandra, her words being slightly distorted by the fact that a doctor was checking her mouth and throat. After being kidnapped it was the one things Cassie's father absolutely insisted upon and he had sent Hale along with her to make sure she actually listened to his orders while he had to return to work.

"Doesn't seem like anything major probably just a bad fever from overworking herself," the doctor said absently jotting down notes before checking Cassandra's neck to see if her glands were swollen. Cassandra simply sat there rolling her eyes, she could have told her brother that herself, she didn't feel she needed to be checked out by a doctor all she really needed was to go home and have some peace and quiet. It shouldn't have been that spectacular a goal but with all the events in the last few weeks … well she hoped there would be a first time for everything.

The doctor looked over his notes, "The only thing I can't explain is the bruising around her ankles, but it would be better if I was told exactly what I am supposed to be looking for."

"The bruising was an accident," Cassandra stated rather flatly jumping down off the examination table and grabbing her sweater to cover her chilled arms, "Now can I please just go home I'm tired and Hale should get back to work."

Hale's eyebrows furrowed as he picked his younger sister up piggyback style again to take her home, "Why the hell won't you tell me what happened there? What did he do? If he threatened you tell me and I will do something to stop him. But I can't do anything if you don't tell me so what on earth did he do to you while you were at that house."

"Nothing," she whispered.

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**Something tells me this will be a long fic since most chapters are only about four or five pages long, but then again I haven't written an especially long fic before so I am kind of proud of myself. I still have so many good ideas on where this story is going and this is only chapter 8! If some people begin to think I am dragging things on a little later –well – that is because Gaara is stubborn and hard to get to open up!**

**I may update again by Friday but if I don't then the next one should otherwise be on Monday because of Squirt's birthday and then mine on the weekend. October is my busy month, but hey I'm finally going to be 15! (Yes I am still 14 don't remind me … sob)**

**Could I have reviews and Sporks for my Birthday? Pretty Please? **

**Starchip13**


	9. Return of the Moonlight Sonata

**Chapter #9**

**Return of the Moonlight Sonata**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Sorry for the wait everyone, I know I promised to have this out earlier, but my internet stopped working and I have been sick most of the week. Hehe, so on with the show everyone!**

**ENJOY!**

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Yet again Daichi had another late night and Hale was off doing late night small last minute missions around the village so it was just Cassandra and the dogs again. Being sick and all there was no way she felt like reading her study guides, cooking and cleaning definitely wasn't a good idea, which left the piano sitting in the living room by the sliding glass door. Cassandra really couldn't resist it; those ivory keys were calling her name, begging to be played after such a long period of neglect.

Cassandra pressed one of the keys thoughtfully before glancing up at a curtain picture sitting on top of the piano, an old family photo taken 'back in the day', it made her eyes soften slightly seeing the four happy faces beaming back from behind the polished glass. Cassandra closed her eyes letting her fingertips touch the glass for an instant before they traveled back down to the piano keys and began to play. In her mind she could see her mom clearly playing those notes the way she used to, flawless and beautiful, just as she always did.

Kobi who had been lying by the piano bench with Cori listening to their master's music twitched and ear slightly and growled softly. It was something he did for only one visitor.

Quickly raking her brain for a song Cassie found one in her mind she thought he might like, it was an old favourite of hers, and she began playing not paying much attention to the opening and closing of the door.

"Just like you to be up when you should be resting," Gaara's voice muttered.

Cassie pouted slightly in a playful way, "You really just have to ruin my fun now don't you?"

For a moment he didn't say a word but Cassandra could feel his gaze on her back, "What is that song called?"

"Moonlight Sonata," she replied continuing to play the notes of the song, she looked at him with a teasing glance, "Why? Does Kazekage-sama like this music?"

"Stop calling me that it's annoying," he answered flat out refusing to answer Cassandra's original question.

"Well what would you prefer I call you? Gaara-san or maybe … Gaara-kun…?"

"Do you have to be annoying with the suffixes," he was obviously irked even if he tried to hide it.

Cassie smiled, "Well if you answer my question then I will."

"Music is pointless, it's all the same to me," he snapped making Cassandra hit a sour note and immediately stop in the middle of the song.

Cassandra always had that attitude that made Gaara snap no matter how hard he tried to stop it, and when he had said music was pointless he didn't think anything of it. Gaara expected her to protest or go on obliviously like she would do normally but instead she simply stopped playing and stared down at her piano keys with an unreadable expression. Gaara wasn't sure if he had said anything wrong.

"Ya I guess you're right, I could probably be doing something much more useful than playing this old thing now couldn't I," she said with her smile returning to her lips. It was a soft serene smile as she ran her fingers along the piano keys but not pressing them down far enough to make a sound, "but if you had been able to hear the way my mother used to play this very piano she could make even the most skeptical and hardened man's eyes soften. It's kind of stupid and it probably doesn't matter to you but somehow I thought maybe I could become as good as she was."

There was a long silence between the two of them. Cassandra sat there continuing to gaze down at the keys of the piano before finally looking up to Gaara and smiling as she got up from her piano bench, "I'm sorry but I really feel tired I guess I will go to bed."

'_That really was not like her,'_ Gaara thought watching her walk right past him toward the hallway.

"Goodnight Gaara," she called, "try to blink once and a while."

'_That sounds like her,'_ Gaara gave an inward sigh and turning to the picture Cassandra had been looking at earlier.

It was an old family photo, he recognized Cassie's father and brother in it, and of course there was young Cassandra who looking no more than four with her dark hair up in twin ponytails. She was being held lovingly by a young woman with matching shoulder length dark locks. At first Gaara almost mistook the woman for present day Cassandra, aside from the hair length they looked identical, same eyes, same face, and the same playful smile.

'_Her mother,'_ Gaara realized looking at the beaming young woman who had her arms wrapped around her precious child. He felt something in his heart when he realized there was never a picture of him and his parents. There was no young Gaara staring back happily through picture frame glass from a still shot of the arms of a loving mother; Gaara had never had that privilege. Gaara couldn't exactly sympathize with her feelings because he had never known love of someone who would never betray him (AKA his bastard uncle). His siblings feared him, his father despised him, his mother merely wanted him to carry on her hate for the village, and his uncle tried to kill him. No, Gaara could not relate to her feelings about her lost mother at all so he decided it best not to try.

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**_Cassandra's tiny feet tip toed down the cold stares of her house as she headed down to the living room where she could hear the piano music. Cassie shyly stepped into the dim light coming from a single lamp sitting on the piano where her mother sat trying to work out a tune for a new song. She hesitated stepping out, and when she did the floorboards creaked catching the attention of the pretty raven haired woman looking down at her through a pair of slightly dusty reading glasses. _**

"**_Cassie honey," Rita whispered in concern, "Why are you crying?"_**

"**_Mommy I had a bad dream," the child whimpered whipping the pearl sized tears from the corners of her eyes. _**

**_Removing her reading glasses Rita motioned for Cassie to come sit next to her on the piano bench. Cassandra gladly accepted the invitation, and sitting next to her mother she buried her face in her mother's side. Tears were still rolling down the young girl's face, "I dreamed you were gone mommy you weren't here, neither were Hale or daddy, I was alone." _**

"**_There, there Cassie its ok dreams aren't real you don't have to cry," Rita hushed Cassandra wrapping her arms around the crying child, "I'm here and I'll never leave you."_**

"_**Never ever?"**_

"**_Never ever," Rita assured picking her daughter up in her arms for a moment while she retrieved something from inside her piano bench and handed it to Cassandra. It was a stuffed golden retriever puppy with a big red bow around its neck and a tag that said 'Kobi' tied to it, "This was going to be a birthday present for you but I think you need it much more now. He'll always protect you no matter what, whenever you feel alone, there isn't any force on earth that could tare him from your side … just like me Cassie honey. I want you to grow up to be strong and have the courage to smile and be happy no matter what." _**

"**_Arigato mommy," Cassandra whispered hugging the stuffed dog for all she was worth and snuggling close to her mother as she began playing a soft tune to help calm Cassie before she took her back up to her bed. That song was the Moonlight Sonata. _**

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Cassandra's eyes drifted open and for a while she just stared at the shadows moving across her ceiling with no readable emotion on her face. She could still hear the almost somber tune in her head and almost feel her mother's arms around her. She had never admitted it to anyone, not even her father or brother, but she missed her mother so much it hurt.

The Iwate family had all taken it badly when Iwate Rita died and they all had dealt with it in different ways. Hale had been dangerously violent when he practiced at the academy hurting more kids his age and older than thought possible. Daichi developed a drinking problem passing out on the couch every night. Then there was Cassie who would sit alone up in her room in her closet with that same old stuffed dog clutched in her arms. And for months the house had been dead until the day when Cassie finally emerged from her own little safe haven she had created in the back of the closet.

The day Cassandra decided to change things back to normal Daichi and Hale had come home to the smell of a fresh cooked meal. Daichi had ran into the kitchen calling Rita's name since he was to drunk to remember she died a few weeks before, and instead he saw little Cassandra cooking supper for the family. The disappointment in his eyes crushed Cassie's heart because he had hoped to see his wife there smiling instead of his daughter. It did hurt Cassie a lot inside, but she just smiled and told them to wait a little longer for supper because she had to climb onto the counters to be able to reach anything from the cabinets.

The Iwate family had learned moved on after incident. Daichi stopped drinking, Hale calmed down, and Cassandra was smiling again. Of course nothing had been the same after that, it never would be, but at least they learned to live again no matter how painful the memories were.

'_Gaara has seen much more pain over his life than I have. No matter how bad someone thinks they have it there is always someone worse off and that's why I can't just feel sorry for myself,'_ Cassandra thought. Grabbing an old worn down stuffed dog from the top of her bookshelf and crawling into her little closet safe haven. It had been a while since she had used it but all the old blankets she had fashioned into a little nest/bed were still there and she eventually able to get comfortable and closed the door, _'If I sometimes feel this lost imagine how he must feel.'_


	10. Dinner Guests

**Chapter #10**

**Dinner Guests**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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Days as usual, of course not much was usual anymore after Cassandra met Gaara. Since he had actually stuck around to listen to her Moonlight Sonata he would sometimes sneak into her room for reasons unknown to Cassie. Mostly he would only come around if he noticed Cassandra was staying up late reading her study guides and remind her to go to sleep since she had to work in the mornings. Luckily Cassie didn't have to work any more double shifts at the restaurant. Sometimes when she fell asleep with a book in her hand - it happened to her more often than she thought - she would wake up in the middle of the night tucked in with her lamp turned off and her book sitting on her bedside table. It could have easily been Cassandra's father or brother but sand on her windowsill gave her a different feeling.

Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed as she searched for something in the house to cook. The fridge was virtually empty and the cupboards had some things but nothing particularly supper worthy, "Hale, where is dad? He should have been home with groceries an hour ago."

"Beats me," Hale shrugged not moving from in front of the TV.

Cassie gave a small frustrated sigh, "Ah! How the hell am I supposed to cook if there is nothing left in this house to eat?!"

"No need to worry," Daichi's voice called along with the sound of the door opening and shutting. He came walking in with a mountain of grocery bags piled in his arms so high Cassandra had to go help catch them before it all ended up all over her freshly cleaned floor, "I have it completely covered Cassie!"

"Ya you have enough food to feed us plus a starving country for a week. How on earth are we supposed to eat all of this before it spoils," Cassandra asked as she placed a few bags on the kitchen counter.

"Well we're having company over for dinner tonight," Daichi announced.

"And you're telling me this now," Cassie's mouth dropped open, "Geez don't give me any earlier notice. They could have been here before I got the water boiling."

Daichi messed up his daughter's hair, "Don't worry about it sweetie I have it covered, since it is my date that is coming over I will do the cooking. You just have to go upstairs and put on something nice. And that goes the same for you too, Hale can you dress in something half decent or what?"

"No," Hale responded dully.

"We'll you're combing that rat's nest that you call hair at the very least or else," warned Daichi.

Cassie gave her father a sideways glance, "A date huh? Do I get to know who she is or what?"

"Her name is Hana she is the waitress I hired," he said with a smile.

"You know that's odd you don't usually invite your girlfriends for family dinners until you've been dating for at least a few weeks," Cassandra stated in a slightly annoyed tone, "How come this is the first I have to hear of this woman?"

"Oh it's just the first it's ever come up with all of Hale's missions and you being kidnapped and sick so don't even start with that tone. Just remember I'm the adult here and your brother is just the lazy ass that won't leave for some reason so no taking that tone with me," Daichi scolded, "Now you go upstairs and change or something, its doesn't have to be fantastic it only has to be clean and appropriate."

"I've been able to dress myself for quite some time now I think I may just know what I'm doing," Cassandra rolled her and eyes headed upstairs, "And if you destroy my kitchen I will make you pay dearly!"

"I own my own restaurant Cassandra I know what I am doing," her father defended.

"No if you were actually the one that cooked in that restaurant then you would know what you are doing," retorted Cassie, "I thank god you hire a cook or you'd have burned down the place ages ago."

After freshening up Cassandra was sitting on her bed jotting down words in a notebook she used to write the rough drafts in her songs. She was bored, and her father wouldn't even allow her downstairs so it was all she could do.

When it came to the use of the kitchen Cassie had a controlling nature because she was the only one to ever cook for the family and both the men in her house were hopeless with a spatula much less the stove.

"What you writing there squirt," Hale asked poking his head through her bedroom door.

"Nothing that concerns you," she said flatly closing her notebook, "What do you want?"

Hale shrugged, "I didn't want to be anywhere near the kitchen while dad is cooking. Last I checked he forgot to put the lid on the blender when he was making the drinks, and I have no confidence in his skills with the oven either."

"Oh Kami he better not set the house on fire," springing to her feet Cassie walked across the room giving Hale the chance he needed to take her notebook out of her hands, and run down the hallway with it, "You better give that back to me you stupid jackass!"

"I will right after I read what you had been keeping from me," he laughed beginning to open the first page of the book, but didn't get the chance since Cassandra jumped on his back before he could read much more than a song title.

Cassandra grunted pulling his arms back to restrain him, "Oh I don't think so ninja boy!"

The two of you wrestled for control, Hale staggered dangerously, Cassie could tell he wasn't using his full strength in fear he might hurt her since he the shinobi of the two. Either way he did have trouble with Cassie on his back because she too had her own tricks.

"I got it," Cassandra yelled in triumph snatching the notebook from Hale as she still clung for dear life to his back, "Look who is victorious!"

"Not for long," he grunted turning his back to the wall and allowing his weight to fall backwards.

It had become a bad habit for Gaara to sit outside Cassandra's window and look in on her knowing she would always be there reading, writing in a notebook, or sleeping. Sometimes he would even go into her room when she fell asleep with the book in her hands. Gaara didn't know why he even cared, but he would always pull the blankets over her and set her book on her nightstand for her.

That afternoon Gaara had arrived earlier than usual and found her jotting in that notebook of hers again when her troublesome older brother came in the door. They talked for a moment before Cassandra jumped from her bed and headed for the hallway. Hale stole that well used notebook of hers and tried to make a run for it.

Cassandra jumped on him and after a loud and noisy struggle was able to reclaim her stolen property but Hale looked like he was going to loose his balance and crash them both into a wall.

Gaara didn't even think before he moved and once he did he had already opened the window and stepped into the hallway with his sand cushioning the blow between Cassandra and the wall. She had winced obviously expecting some form of painful impact and it took a few minutes before she spotted the sand and a small smile appeared on her lips. She had to be the only person on earth that would smile when she saw his sand.

"What," Hale glanced around until his slightly angered glare landed on Gaara, "How did you get in here?"

"Same way as last time," he responded darkly.

"Well you can go out the way you came in then because I don't recall you being a welcome guest in this house," Hale seethed.

That got hit a hit upside the head from his sister who looked annoyed at her brother, "Do you have a polite bone in your body at all baka? Seriously when you have a guest you don't act rude jackass."

Blinking slightly Gaara looked at Cassandra and she just returned his confusion with a smile, "Sorry for my brother I hope you don't hold him against me. You know we are making a big meal anyway because we are expecting guests why don't you stay as well? I promise Hale will shut up."

"Are you insane-" her brother hissed before being silence by a firm backhand upside his head once again.

"Be nice," she warned.

"No, I'd say that's a pretty valid question," Gaara stated flatly, "After all not many people would ask me of all people to stay for dinner."

Cassandra gave a small pout, "Oh don't be like that just because my brother is a small minded jackass. Come on my father invited people without telling me, and now he is destroying my kitchen as we speak I need someone half decent to talk to you know or I will go insane."

There were those eyes of hers again, those large pleading green eyes, those eyes that could make any given emotion authentic at the drop of a hat. Gaara had no idea how she did it but trying to resist it was almost painful even for him. It was really starting to bother him as he realized exactly how easily she could sway his heart and convince him of almost anything. No one else on earth was able to do that, "Fine, I'll stay."

She started beaming, "Great! Supper should be ready soon if dad doesn't set the house on fire!"

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**Thanks for the review everyone! Keep up the support because I love you all for it!**


	11. The Guests Arrive

**Chapter #11**

**The Guests**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING," Cassandra couldn't help but yell when she saw the mess her father had managed to make in under a half hour, "Hale I thought you were joking about dad making a disaster of this place just to get my notebook!"

There were spills everywhere and even a couple scorch marks on the marble counters that nearly made Cassandra's heart stop. She knew Daichi and Hale were so bad at cleaning they wouldn't be able to tell which end of a mop would be up so guess who would be stuck with cleaning duty afterwards. Iwate Cassandra.

"Hale I thought I told you to keep your sister upstairs," Daichi crossed his arms in protest.

Hale crossed his arms just like his father, "Well I would have loved to but after she invited her new friend over for dinner I didn't really figure you'd be thinking about her freaking over the kitchen much."

Grabbing a wooden spoon of the kitchen counter Cassie hit Hale in the arm with it, "I told you to be nice for once in your life and stop being so rude!"

"Yes Hale you shouldn't speak like that about guests, we have plenty of food so it won't be a problem," Daichi scolded just before turning to Cassandra and smiling, "Who did you invite over Honey?"

Cassie didn't have to respond since Gaara finally decided to step into view of the kitchen making Daichi drop the single bowl of food he had been able to cook without burning. He stood there completely dumbstruck for a few moments. Gaara just stared back at him with an unreadable expression and his arms crossed over his chest as usual. Hale shook his head in exasperation. Cassie was to busy cursing in her mind about the broken porcelain bowl to really notice much else.

"H-Honey," Daichi stammered.

"DAD THE STOVE!" The pasta Daichi had been cooking on the stove was starting to boil over the lip of the pot as she scrambled over to turn down the heat. After there was no longer scalding water pouring onto the floor Cassie turned to her brother and father pointing a finger at them, "Ok you and you get out of this kitchen, you're both hopeless, and if I let this continue this house will be burned down."

"Cassandra-" Daichi began.

"No questions, its, ands, or buts," Cassandra cut in and pointed to the living room, "Just go watch TV or something and I will finish this and try and clean up just please don't even start."

Gaara's eyes followed the two men who walked reluctantly into the living room and then back to Cassie as she went to the closet for a broom and some other things to clean up the mess with.

Cassandra laughed with embarrassment and rubbed the back of her head, "I'm really sorry about those two, they are so hopeless, kind of like children."

"My siblings are almost the same," he muttered glancing in the living room again. They both knew Cassie's brother and father were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Daichi and Hale had made it quite clear that they didn't welcome Gaara into the house but they had their sense of self preservation so they weren't going to voice their true opinions while he was within earshot, "I have a sister that only thinks she can cook and a pervert for an older brother."

"Well I guess when you live with someone its easy to find their bad sides," Cassandra shrugged picking up the biggest pieces of the shattered bowl and tossing them in the trash, "I guess since I've always liked a challenge I always try and find enough good qualities to outweigh the bad. Any idiot can list off the things they don't like about someone or something, but it takes an actual brain to see the good. Since sometimes my Dad and Hale can be idiots they just like to block out anything they don't want to hear."

Gaara glanced down at Cassie for a moment in silence with his green eyes shooting that same old expressionless stare at her. Those eyes of his, they were almost hypnotizing for some reason. So much so Cassie didn't even notice that his sand had crept in a thin layer across the floor breaking down the leftover glass and cleaning up the spilled food.

"Arigato Gaara-kun," Cassandra thanked with a smile as she began to wipe off the counters and try and save whatever Daichi had been attempting to cook.

DING DONG. It was the doorbell. Whoever Daichi had invited over had finally arrived.

"Coming," Cassandra called making sure everything on the stove or in the oven was cooking nicely before scampering to the door and opening it, "Welcome!"

"Why thank you! You must be Daichi's daughter Cassandra I have heard so much about you," a red headed woman pushing into late thirties walked in with an unnaturally whitened smile. Almost out of nowhere she came right out and wrapped her arms around Cassandra almost suffocating her with her large push-up-bra-wearing breasts, "oh you are as adorable as your father has told me, though by how tall your father is I didn't expect you to be so short, how old are you anyway thirteen or fourteen?"

"Sixteen," Cassie corrected starting to get slightly tired of people always mistaking her age because of her size. Cassandra was five-foot-two for Kami's sake, she may be a bit short, but it's not like she was a midget or dwarf or anything.

"Oh my god Cassie-chan I can't believe it," an oddly familiar voice came from beside the red headed woman Cassandra assumed to be Hana your father's new girlfriend. A sixteen year old girl with shoulder length bleached blonde hair and about as dolled up as her mother stared at Cassandra in complete disbelief, "I had no idea when mom said Daichi had a daughter that it was you. I thought maybe because of the last name thing maybe you were related but I really had no idea."

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"Gina," was all you could really say as your face went blank as a slate, it was Gina, as in Gina your co-worker at the animal shelter. You had never really ever taken a liking to the girl, but since you worked with her you remained civil, preppy girls had always gotten on your nerves so you could only stand her in small doses, 'Kami save my soul…'

Both Gina and Hana jumped surprised by something behind Cassie - three guesses who it was - who just sighed forcing a smile to stay on her face, "Well dad is in the living room, and supper will be a few more minutes. I sort of let myself fall behind so I hope you don't mind."

"N-not at all," Hana stammered slipping her shoes and jacket off and walking around Gaara as quickly as possible, "I-I'll just go wait with D-Daichi come along Hana…"

When they were out of earshot Cassie let out a long pent up sigh and turned around nearly walking right into Gaara's chest. She hadn't expected him to be standing so close so it was no wonder Hana and Gina had been spooked so badly. Cassie just put another small forced smile on and apologized to him before walking back to the kitchen to check on the food she still had cooking.

Cassandra walked past Gaara with an expertly done fake smile. Anyone who wasn't observant like Gaara was would have no idea that the smile was fake. He had seen her real smile many times before and it was much more natural and serene, _'She doesn't like her father's date very much.'_

Gaara followed Cassandra back into the kitchen and stood by the door watching her scramble to finish cooking the meal as quickly as possible. He also listened carefully to the conversation going on in the living room. Everyone in the living room was speaking in a hushed tone in an attempt to keep Gaara from hearing but he could still catch all the important bits and pieces of what they were saying which made their topic increasingly obvious.

"He kidnapped her," the busty redhead hissed, "Why is he here?"

"Cass invited him…"

"…Un-invite him then …"

"Easier said than done … you should talk to Cassandra …"

"Stubborn as a mule … she'll never listen," Hale pointed out.

A smirk formed on Gaara's face as he thought, _'Typical cowards, the only person that talks about me with absolutely no fear is Cassandra. I wonder why she is the odd one of this family.'_

"Ouch," Cassandra hissed in a low tone trying to cover it up but it still got Gaara's attention. She had been in such a hurry to cut some vegetables she had given her finger a nasty cut. She looked at it for a moment, it wasn't all that serious, but it was bleeding so she put it in her mouth while she searched for a bandage with her injured hand.

Gaara walked over - not really knowing what he was doing - taking her hand and the bandages that she had set on the counter. She didn't hesitate or resist against him like his uncle had years before, but the difference between them was that Cassandra was much more innocent. Gaara had grown a lot since then, he could judge people better, and his only real worry about letting Cassandra try and get close to him was that she would end up being exactly like Yashamaru. Though Cassandra didn't seem to be putting on an act or planning anything in Gaara's eyes.

"Be more careful," Gaara warned when he finished bandaging her hand.

Cassie looked slightly surprised at first glancing at her hand but then she looked up again at him and smiled, "Arigato Gaara-kun."

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**Aw, how kawaii! (ahem) Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed! You all make me feel happy!**

**Starchip13**


	12. This Just Isn't my Day

**Chapter #12**

**This Just Isn't My Day**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Yay another chapter! I am happy about this one since I got so many reviews; seriously, I came back on the weekend with a packed inbox! I am so glad so many people love this fiction as much as I enjoy writing it!**

**To thank everyone for so many reviews I made this chapter long! ENJOY!**

**(_For Pyropixie: Hi! I kept my promise and I updated for you so I expect a hug at school tomorrow!_)**

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Dinner, as Cassandra expected, was quieter than usual with Gaara sitting at the table. In the heavy air around the group of people the only real sound was the rhythmic clatter of the silverware on the pates as people ate, and virtually no one dared look up from their plate. Cassandra knew her father would scold her for it later but she realized right then it was almost a blessing not to have Gina babbling like she would have normally done. Gaara was like an automatic silencer even if you didn't know he had a demon inside him because of his generally cold attitude.

Gaara sat beside Cassandra eating silently ignoring the fact that he had completely drained the life out of the entire room and ate silently. For Cassie it was dinner as usual, when people eat there is no need to talk, it just gives others an unflattering view of the food people had only half finished chewing.

There was a frantic knocking at the door making half the people sitting at the table jump.

"I'll get it," Cassandra announced getting up and walking to the door and opening it. Even she slightly surprised, "Temari? Kankuro?"

"Please tell us Gaara is here," Kankuro panted obviously out of breath.

"What is it," Gaara asked from behind Cassandra. She jumped since she had not even heard him get up from the table.

"Something is going on downtown," Temari said quickly, "Some form of gang related thing. They were using exploding tags all downtown, we managed to round up most of them but a few are still running loose setting houses on fire. And through all of this commotion the Kazekage is missing so we'd really appreciate it if you came and maybe lend a hand."

He nodded walking past Cassie without another word followed by Hale who had an obligation to go defend the civilians from the attacks.

"Oh my I hope no one gets hurt," Gina whispered concerned from the table.

'_Of course someone is going to get hurt if anything it will be a bystander,'_ Cassandra thought as she watched the shinobi go on their way, _'that's how it always works no matter how hard the ninja try.' _

BANG!

Now that she had the door open Cassie could hear all too clearly the sound of explosions coming not more than a few blocks away. In fact that especially loud explosion had come from an apartment complex that was right in view. She could even see the people scatter for their lives as chunks of wood and plaster fell from the side of the building. The destruction continued to grow because even after the explosions did there damage there was quite a number of fires which in a desert village were a big problem.

Cassandra frowned, if she just stayed and watched such a display she would go insane, but she really couldn't do anything since she couldn't fight. But it didn't stop Cassandra from quickly slipping on her shoes and running out the door before Daichi could stop her. Remember, Cassie was a runner, and she could outrun Daichi without even breaking a sweat.

"No let me go in," a woman screamed trying to claw her way out of her husband's grasp, "My baby girl I can't just leave her!"

"There is nothing we can do," her husband protested not allowing his wife to re-enter the burning building.

"What is your apartment number," Cassandra asked quickly looking at the building.

"Its C10," the woman whimpered staring at her, "But you're not going in there are-"

Cassie wasn't listening – as usual - she had already started running towards the building. The door was barricaded with debris, but she decided the gaping hole in the side of the building would do just fine. Cassie was extremely lucky the explosion had been confined to the lobby leaving the stairs in tact or there would have been no way to get to the child. Despite that the relatively contained damage fire was still quickly spreading throughout the building

"Of course these people have to live on the top goddamn floor," Cassie muttered as she run up the stairwell. She could feel the uncomfortable heat radiate on her skin but she just kept running up the stairs to the very top floor and down the hallway to apartment C10.

Cassandra found the door. The entire wall where a window had once been beside it was the same wall that had taken the punishment of the paper bomb. More good luck for Cassie-chan – heavy sarcasm - was that it was the main source of the fires. She had to shield her eyes with her hand but the intense heat and smoke still made them burn. Cassie had to move quickly, no one could last much longer in that kind of heat.

Backing up slightly Cassandra knew she had one chance before the whole building took to flame like a roman candle. With all the force she could muster she ran at the door and threw all her weight against the already weakened door making the wood splinter and fall backwards into the small apartment. There was a serge of heat that rushed past her as she hit the floor with the door and for a moment the shoulder she hit was completely numb from the impact. She had to take a moment to breathe while the feeling came back, but that moment was cut short by the heat of the fire around her reminded her to move her tail.

"Hey," Cassie screamed running into what was left of the apartment kitchen, "Hey kid are you in here?!"

The only answer was the loud crackling of the fire as she stood there for a moment panting in the hot smoke choked air that was beginning to rob her of oxygen, _'I have to find this kid quickly or I am going to suffocate in here … but the kid is scared and probably hiding. Damn it where do I even begin my search the kid could be anywhere! If I were a kid where would I…'_

It suddenly clicked in her mind. To her there would be only one safe place, so covering her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket she headed to where the bedroom doors were. It wasn't that hard to guess which one was a little kid's room because hanging on the second door was a small sign tacked into the wood painted white with pink teddy bears that read the name Tsukika. Evidentially Cassandra had been looking for a little girl.

"Tsukika you in here," Cassandra called loudly kicking in her door and glancing around the room. The door had stopped the first from entering the room but smoke had been coming in through the cracks in the doors so even seeing was difficult for her. She had to duck down on her knees. She crawled over to the closet and eased it open giving a slight sigh of relief, _'thank god.'_

Sitting in the closet curled up on top of her collection of cute Marry Jane shoes was a little six year old girl with sandy blonde hair. She appeared to be asleep but she probably was unconscious from all the smoke in the room but she was still breathing and that was the main thing.

Cassandra picked up the little girl. Luckily she was small so she only had to use one arm to support the girl's weight and her little body leaned on her so her head was resting on Cassandra's shoulder.

She had the kid, but she also had to get out again. Lucky for her there was a window, and just outside the window was a fire escape.

The window was stuck so it was no wonder Tsukika hadn't gone down the fire escape herself. Cassandra had to use the stool sitting at the little girl's desk to break the glass and crawl through. Needless to say the ebony haired heroine was more than grateful to breathe in something other than smoke.

'_That could have turned out very badly,'_ Cassandra thought patting the girl's back for a moment. She was still breathing so all Cassie had to next was get the girl back to her mother.

"Hm…" the Tsukika began moaning, "What … where am I? What is going on?"

"Its ok I got you out of there you're safe now, we just have to get you to your parents now," Cassandra assured as she patted the girl's back, "If you climb onto my back and hold onto my shoulders I will be able to go a bit faster though."

Tsukika nodded climbing so that she was piggy back style on Cassandra and wrapped her arms around her neck. The tiny child seemed to be coughing an awful lot and her breathing was uneven from having breathed in so much smoke, but other than that there didn't appear to be anything wrong with her, at least nothing her parents and the local medic couldn't fix easy enough.

"Um excuse me miss but I hope you can get us down to the ground quickly," the blonde child whispered.

"Why?"

She pointed to the window of the building next door where a man wearing a black bird death mask seemed to be skulking around, "because I don't think those paper things he is sticking all over that hallway are for decoration."

"Oh shit," Cassie cursed. There couldn't have even been more than five or six feet between the two buildings and she was still standing on the top floor with a way down that was going to be to slow, but anything was better than just standing there like an idiot, "we seriously need to get moving!"

Her rushed footfalls made loud metallic clangs as she ran and the echoing in the enclosed space only made it louder and more stressful for Cassie, but she didn't have a death wish right then so she kept going like there was no tomorrow hoping she would reach the ground before the bombs started going off. Though the fact that she had a child that was half in tears with fear and struggling was really not helping matters much, it may have slowed her down a bit too much.

The sound was so loud Cassandra was sure she would go deaf but with chunks of debris and generally just large pieces of the wall falling down on her that was really the least of her problems. A large boulder fell breaking the fire escape and sent Cassie and the small girl cascading downward. If the fall wouldn't kill them the chunks out of the side of the building certainly would.

'_Damn it all,'_ Cassandra screwed her eyes shut and clutched the crying her in her arms as they fell, she didn't want to watch her own fall, but suddenly she felt an tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach different from that of falling. It was more like floating actually, floating on something swift and slightly coarse, something like sand, _'Thank god for the sand Kage…'_

The floating sand brought the two girls gently back down the ground while protecting them at the same time. It set them down in front of a slightly irked red head before dispersing and retreating back into his gourd, "You seriously are suicidal aren't you? Don't you even think before you do something?"

"Not really, no," she responded in an uninterested tone, "because you see Gaara-kun if I had stopped to think about it before running in to rescue the girl that bomb would have gone off while I was still up there. I might have been trapped in a smoke filled room with no way would now how would that have gone?"

"Baka," he muttered rolling his eyes.

Tsukika's parents ran over yelling, scooping up their daughter, and giving her a lifetime worth of hugs after seeing her nearly get crushed to death, "Thank you miss, thank you so much, we can never find a way to repay you for this!"

Cassandra just gave a smile and rubbed the back of her head slightly, "Seriously don't mention it, besides Kazekage-sama did help a great deal."

"Arigato Kazekage-sama," the mother gave a quick bow before rushing off with her child.

Out of the corner of her eye Cassie spotted that same little sneaky bastard sporting the crow death mask skulking around by the building and a smile graced her lips. Well … maybe more like an evil smirk. She casually picked up a good sized rock from the ground by her feet - two whole buildings had been blown up so it wasn't difficult - and she tested its weight for a moment before taking aim and giving it one good toss. She had an arm like a cannon, any of the neighborhood boys she had played dodge ball with could vouch for it, and probably better aim with projectiles than her brother.

The rock hit its target square in the back of the head making him trip over himself and do a face plant. He didn't get up, he was probably just knocked out, and boy would he have a nasty goose egg when he woke up again.

"Well I don't know about you but I really feel better now," Cassandra who felt quite satisfied said with a proud grin as she walked off.

Gaara stood there for moment letting his eyes follow the dark haired young girl, and then back to the man in the raven mask, he really did not get her at all. If he didn't know better Gaara would have thought she was schizophrenic or something else odd but something seriously made him doubt it. Not that he had much time to ponder over it, he was the Kazekage, and even if he had already caught all the culprits (plus the one Cassie took down) there was never ending work to do otherwise. It would take weeks for all the repairs to be finished, and a lot of new forms for Gaara to sign and fill out. With all of the damage done Gaara was going to be at his desk pushing papers until next Christmas!

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Cassandra had spent hours out in the village helping injured with a few techniques she knew for first aid (she knew more than just how to care for animals) and helping clean up the streets. It was long hours but her mind had an overdrive switch that kept her going when she was on task. How do you think she dealt with balancing two jobs before?

Completely exhausted and feeling hopelessly drained Cassandra headed home completely intending to fall into a mini coma as soon as she got under her comforter. So you can imagine her dismay when she discovered her bookshelf sitting in the hallway and a second bed replacing it in her room. As if it was not enough her father had gone and rearranged her room without her permission, and who she saw sitting cross legged on the bed unpacking a few belongings from a duffle bag completely horrified her. Gina.

Gina glanced up casually and gave an absent minded wave as she continued to unpack her things, "Hey."

"Hey," Cassie replied shortly trying to keep her voice civil.

When the completely vexed teen continued to stand in the doorway of her room giving a flat and almost glare like stare Gina shifted uncomfortably, "Uh … was there something you wanted?"

"I live here."

"…uh ya I kind of knew that…" Gina responded carefully as though she were trying to reason with a time bomb. Cassandra's stare was beginning to get just that unnerving.

"You don't," she stated in an ever so slightly cold tone.

"Actually for the time being she does," Daichi corrected walking up the stairs with a large box of Hana's belongings, and Hana herself right behind him carrying a backpack, "That apartment building that was hit not far from here was where Hana and Gina lived so since they have nowhere else to go I insisted they stay here. We don't have any spare rooms so we are moving your bookshelf downstairs for now so you and Gina can share this room ok?"

Cassandra nodded robotically, "Ya but can I ask you a question dad?"

"Sure honey go ahead."

"Does karma have a grudge against me," she asked.

For a moment Daichi was perplexed but being more so oblivious than Cassie could be at times he just shrugged, "You know honey I'm not sure you'd have to ask a psychic or something. Now help Gina with her things its getting late and I think we all need some sleep."

"Hai father," responded Cassandra half heartedly as she let out an inward sigh, _'really what did I do to deserve this torcher?'_

"Hey Cassie-chan is it alright if I just put my cloths in your closet for now," Gina asked not paying attention to the look of defeat on Cassandra's face.

"No, your stuff will go in the drawers I'll move the rest of my cloths to the closet."

Having someone in her room like Gina was bad enough without having to move half her wardrobe out of her chest of drawers and put it into the shelves in her closet. There was no way in hell Gina was going to touch her closet anyway so she went with what was least painful. She had after all installed a dead bolt on the door that locked from the inside and she only had one key. It seemed that her little closet hide away would be her only safe haven even in her own home.

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**Yay! This was the last chapter I wrote on Quizilla format so that means my laziness won't be as big a factor in sometimes coming out late with chapters. I am happy I got a chapter out nice and early this time so while you, my beloved readers, review on my story I shall go be happy and eat vanilla milkshakes.**

**Keep reviewing!!**

**Starchip13**


	13. Three Favors

**Chapter #13**

**Three Favors**

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Hehe! I am so happy with this chapter right here because … well you just have to read to find out now don't ya?!!! Enjoy this long (and minorly fluffy) chapter!**

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Even a person who has never slept a wink in their lives needs rest. After hours of paperwork and other boring Kage chores Gaara though for a moment he had gone blind, but thankfully leaving his office had helped correct his tired eyes. If he had to read or sign any more documents he was sure he would go insane. So then why did Sabaku no Gaara find himself heading towards her house again? That same troublesome girl that more then often infuriated him, confused him, and in his eyes probably the most annoying person on the face of the earth. He didn't have a clue in the world! All he knew was that after meeting her and trying to figure her out, he was drawn to her for some unexplained reason. Gaara couldn't recognize a feeling etching at the back of his mind every time he met her that had compelled him to save her earlier when she could have been rid from his life and he would have done nothing to cause it. Again he didn't have a clue in the world.

One day your damn emotions are going to drive me insane you baka kid, the Shukaku grumbled stubbornly, I'll never understand you stupid humans, and you don't even seem to realize what effect a woman can have on a person.

'_Shut up you bastard raccoon,'_ Gaara snapped in his mind, as usual he was in no mood to listen to him go on.

The Shukaku didn't say much else but Gaara could still sense his cocky ass consciousness in a far corner of his mind muttering, Clueless little baka.

By the time he arrived at her house all the lights were out including hers, but it was not like it was the first time he had ever come to spy in her while she slept. Gaara had hoped observing her more would help him completely understand what it was she did that kept him compelled to return night after night. It had not helped in the least, it only made him frustrated, and a frustrated Gaara is a damn pissed off Gaara. Needless to say he had a shorter temper than usual throughout the weeks he had known her…

Gaara's mind commanded the sand to find its way through her window and unlock it as usual, after so much spying he knew the house better than anyone else outside the Iwate family, maybe even a little better than a few members. Silently opening the window was second nature, he already knew if he lifted it too quickly it would make a tedious squeak, but it was still a simple matter for him to get in and out of the house before the idiot dog Kobi detecting his presence and alerting Cassandra's equally stupid brother.

The red head froze in the center of the room for a moment noticing the room had been rearranged to accommodate two beds. Cassandra's bed was still below the window but where her bookshelf had once resided was another bed whose occupant was snoring loudly under an array of blankets.

"She snores _and_ talks in her sleep," Cassandra groused as she opened her eyes and sat up in bed, "I swear I must have been so bad in a former life and the gods are punishing me with her. I have to say this is actually cruel and unusual. She is just the type of person that no matter what she does just pushes every one of my goddamn buttons."

Gaara glanced at the sleeping form, "You should keep your voice down she might wake up, she might not take well to me being here."

"That's another thing, I would love to wake her up to silence her snoring, but there is a problem. I _can't_ wake her up. She sleeps like a rock."

His sea foam coloured eyes shifted over the sleeping form with a sense of unease, "Why the hell is she here anyway, and why in your room?"

"Her apartment got destroyed in the disaster and there are no spare rooms in this house so we are sharing for now," Cassandra grumbled into her pillow glowering lightly at the other bed when she noticed Gaara was still unsure about staying. Giving a sigh and putting on a small smirk she grabbed her pillow and threw it as hard as she could at Gina and spoke in an alarmingly loud tone, "Hey beach whale you snore like a banshee how about putting a freaking sock in it?!"

Gina simply rolled over in her sleep and continued snoring.

"See what I mean," Cassie muttered, "You can set fire crackers off in her nose she is not going to wake up. I've had to listen to that all night so I should know."

"Hn," Gaara growled in response.

Switching on her beside lamp Cassandra began shuffling through the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a box of cards, "Ever play Crazy Eights Gaara-kun?"

The look on Gaara's face gave a pretty good answer on its own so Cassandra just chuckled softly and tossed aside her comforter so they could have a relatively flat place to play, "Well I am awake now so I need to kill time, not that I could actually get to sleep with Gina going on with her snoring like she has been, so tonight you're going to learn!"

"No." His statement was predictable. He was the Kazekage after all so how would it look if he were to play a childish card game with the one person that could push every one of his buttons at the same time with her clueless and sarcastic nature.

"What is poor Gaara-kun afraid I'll beat him? Are you just scared to loose to a girl Kazekage-sama," she teased waving the deck of cards around in front of his nose like a red and black fan, "Come on I won't go to hard on ya!"

Still insisting on being stubborn the red headed Kazekage sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Cassie expertly shuffle the cards in her hand before dealing them each eight cards. Of course he had no clue about card games, no one had ever been brave enough to play them with him, but there was no way he was going to leave and just let her continue running off at the mouth, "You're going to regret taunting me stupid girl."

"You're going to eat your words when I beat your ass, may I remind you that I have not yet even taught you how to play," Cassie reminded.

'_I have got to find a way to shut her smug little mouth,'_ Gaara growled inwardly when he realized she was right. Again.

It didn't take long to teach Gaara who had always been a quick learner anyway and he was able to get good pretty quickly, but for some reason he had only been able to beat her about forty-five percent of the time which was beginning to bother him. After a little more than a half an hour when Cassandra had once again tied with him for wins Gaara tossed his hand back on the pile stubbornly refusing to continue with something so idiotically trivial only to get suckered into a grudge match by the little raven haired girl's continued taunting. She even gave him incentive by offering that the winner would be able to ask three requests of the person who lost. There was no way Gaara was going to let her win.

"You know you are way too easy when you're challenged, you kind of remind me of a stubborn little kid, so I am hoping you won't just chicken out if you end up loosing," she said as she began to lay cards down on the pile, _'Its actually kind of cute that he even pouts in his own way when he looses.'_

Gaara just scowled and put down his card.

The teasing continued as the game went on, the last round seemed to drag on particularly long, no one really seemed to be winning until Cassie gleefully announced, "Last card!"

'_No way,'_ Gaara still had a few more cards to go, unless he could make her pick up more he was screwed.

"Tee hee," she gave an exaggerated girlish giggle as she placed her last card on top of the pile and threw her arms up in the air in victory, "I win!"

"I'm leaving," he stated suddenly as he got up from the bed and headed for the window. There was no way in hell he was going to stick around after that bet. Why the hell did he agree to it anyway? She had been right when she had said that he acted childish whenever he lost at something, though he was still a beginner and Gaara loosing wasn't really that much of a surprise to Cassandra. Gaara refused to look her in the eye or give her any other sort of acknowledgement as he opened the window.

"Not happening," she didn't even have to think about it, she simply reached out and grabbed the fabric of his sleeve stopping him in his tracks, "You owe me there Gaara-kun."

'_What the hell,'_ Gaara glanced back at her who returned his gaze with a stubborn smug little smile, as per usual her eyes held no fear or hate whatsoever, _'Even my father hated me, my siblings never dared to contradict me or approach me, so why the hell is she acting like a baka …'_ He wouldn't even admit in his own mind that something about her made him want to stay even just a little longer, he couldn't explain it, but then again Gaara wasn't the most experience with emotions of any type other than anger and resentment which meant something like _longing_ was completely out there for him.

With the same growl of annoyance as before Gaara sat at the edge of her bed and crossed his arms over his chest. This was Gaara's way of pretending me wasn't actually pouting like a child, he didn't even realize it himself until Cassandra so willingly pointed it out, it got on his nerves how easily she seemed to be able to read him.

Cassandra chuckled, _'I don't get it I have known Daiki-kun for much longer yet I find it easier to talk to Gaara than anyone else, its odd, even for me.'_

"Ok then the three favors now what will I ask," Cassie murmured putting her hand under her chin and chewing on her lip like she always did when she was trying to think hard. Gaara noticed that the time he watched her writing music at the piano, though her pencil was normally the substitute for her lower lip, "Hm…"

If Gaara had eyebrows (which I find hilarious that he doesn't have in the first place) one of them would have been doing the annoyed anime twitch. He muttered, "Sometime tonight, I just want to get out of here. I don't know why I even keep coming here, stupid girl…"

"That's it," Cassandra gave a loud whisper/yell as an idea finally came to her and she pointed to Gaara as she finally announced her first favor, "Say my name."

"What?" The slightly perturbed red head had half been expecting for someone like Cassandra to demand something stupid and/or insane. He didn't expect such a ridiculously simple command, even he had to be slightly surprised how easy she was going on him.

"Well I believe to have never heard you call me by my name, not _once_, you always just call me girl or wench," she crossed her arms, "I don't really care, whatever floats your boat really, but I would like you to call me by my first name at least once before I turn into an old maid."

"This is stupid."

"Come on Gaara you know it, I did introduce myself formally – well kind of anyway – and if you need a refresher course the name is Cassandra, though people call me Cassie if you would prefer to call me that. Take your pick, I'm waiting…"

"Fine," pausing for a moment Gaara seemed to be having trouble actually forcing himself to give her even the small respect of using her name, "…Cassandra…"

"There now that wasn't so terrible was it," the satisfied ebony haired teen said with a grin, "Now for your next little task you … Hm … you have to smile!"

Giving a no-way-on-god's-green-acre glare Cassandra gave a nervous laugh, "Ok, ok that one can wait, but it has to happen sooner or later and I charge interest so you better not put it off to long you got that Gaara-kun?"

"Feh."

'_Since I met Gaara, Daiki seems to come to mind a little less each day, I wonder…' _a small smile crossed her lips, "Close your eyes."

"Why," asked Gaara suspiciously.

"It's the third favor," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly, "Its not hard to do so suck it up and just shut your eyes for a minute will ya robot shinobi?"

Giving her one last suspicious glare Gaara decided to get it over with, "This better not be some type of stupid trick."

Her smile lessoning slightly a slight tinge of doubt began to appear on Cassandra's face for the first time in a long while. (Of course Gaara couldn't see it so he was out of luck in that department) She sucked in a deep breath letting a small shy smile return to her face and decided that it was no time to chicken out. She leaned in close to him so that their noses were almost touching. Upon feeling her breath Gaara was severely tempted to open his eyes to see what the hell was going on. He could even feel her hand resting lightly on his knee since she was shorter than him and needed something to lean on so she could be eye level with him. Cassandra was sitting on her knees hesitating only for a short moment before leaning forward and giving him a soft kiss on the forehead.

At that moment it would have almost been possible to actually hear the gears in the stunned Kazekage's mind grind to a complete halt, kind of like a broken conveyer belt, during that time every inch of his mind was void of any thought whatsoever. His eyes had snapped open at some point while they were frozen together in that pose where even Cassandra remained unmoving for a few moments with her lips still placed close to the 'Ai' symbol on his forehead.

'_Wa… eh…neh…' _Gaara's mind slowly began to start up again though he began to wonder if he was hallucinating for the obvious reason that _no one_ had ever kissed him before so his brain was doing an extremely slow reboot.

Cassandra just gave her best grin and giggle as she messed up his already spiked red hair and stuck out her tongue, "Never change Gaara-kun you're way to fun to mess around with!"

'_What just happened,'_ Gaara asked himself finally getting up to full speed again. His hand traveled up to the spot where Cassie had kissed him as he wondered if Temari had fed him tainted food or something, _'Was that real?'_

Gina's loud and rhythmic snoring suddenly ended with a snort and a yawn as she suddenly began to wake up, what a time too, Gaara was still half out of his mind trying to figure out what had happened to him when he heard Gina murmur tiredly, "Damn Cass why do you have your lamp on? It totally woke me up…"

Gina had not yet opened up her eyes so he had a few seconds to get his butt in gear and get the hell out of there before the pest of a girl made a scene (which we all know she would). For the Kazekage a few seconds was more than enough time to slip out the window again and leave no trace that he had even been there at all. Gina was none the wiser.

"You're snoring was keeping me up so I decided to play myself at Solitaire," responded Cassandra dryly.

"I don't snore," the blonde retorted in a defensive tone before a slight evil smile crossed her lips and she laid back in a relaxed way with her hands behind her head, "You know our parents seem to really like each other. I wouldn't be surprised if the move in was permanent, and of course if I am going to stay here in this tiny room with you it will completely need to be redecorated. Nothing much maybe a new paint job, shuffle the furniture a bit since I like _my_ bed next to the window, and of course this nonsense about you hoarding everything in that closet will stop. Girl, I have way more cloths and nice things than you do, a dresser just isn't going to cut it you got that?"

Gina had to be the perfect example of a two faced bitch. As long as anybody like her father or other company was around she was the sweetest person in the world and when they left her true personality came out. It always seemed that Cassie had the grudge on Gina for no reason when it was completely the opposite. Compared to Gina's actions against her Cassandra was outright gracious to her which was not easy when every moment of Gina's time seemed to be dedicated to making her life a living hell.

Not even dignifying the question with a response Cassandra tucked her cards back in her bedside table, pulled her covers back over her legs and turned out her bedside lamp. She slept that night facing the wall away from Gina hoping to be able to get to sleep before her snoring started up again.

'_What would Gaara have said if Gina had been asleep just a little bit longer…?'_ She wondered as sleep finally began to come to her.

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He sat staring at the ceiling for a long time, a long time, dawn was finally starting to turn the sky from black to pink by the time he finally sat up in his bed for a moment to try and think again.

Are you planning on doing anything other than thinking of her?

Gaara was not really in the mood to argue with the Shukaku so he attempted to just shrug him off and ignore him, but the raccoon demon was nothing if not persistent.

Damn it, you're emotions are annoying.

'_W-what feeling is this anyway,'_ he asked hoping that maybe the Shukaku would be good for something other than getting on his nerves, _'this emotion … I've never felt it before it feels so strange…'_

Feh I'm a demon I don't understand these _feelings_ humans get. If it bothers you so much then go ask one of your idiot siblings, at least then you can stop thinking about it after that. How I got stuck sharing a body with you I'll never know.

For once in his life the Shukaku had a point, Temari and Kankuro would be sure to know something about what was happening to him, maybe they could explain the feeling in his heart got at the moment Cassandra kissed him. Though since Gaara didn't have a lot of respect for either of his siblings it was a pretty big 'maybe' for him. Plus there was the fact that they would get those smug all knowing grins on their faces that he hated. But if he wanted to find out exactly what the fuzzy feeling in his mind was about what else could he do? If he didn't find out it would just drive both him and the Shukaku insane.

With a groan the red head got to his feet and made his way out of his room and downstairs where both his siblings were sitting on the couch. Temari was reading one of her favourite romance novels and Kankuro was mindlessly flipping through the TV channels hoping to god that something worth watching was on. They didn't notice Gaara's presence in the room, or rather they didn't pay much attention to it since Gaara mostly kept to himself and friendly sibling greetings bounced off him like tennis balls on a brick wall. Figures, the one time it was almost painful for the young Kage to swallow his pride and ask something of them he had to get their attention too. For Gaara it was easier said than done.

He gave a nonchalant cough to get the attention of the two of them. His blonde sister casually looked up from her book while Kankuro didn't even bother responding. If it had been a normal interaction between Gaara and his siblings he would have simply stated his orders and went on his way but in that situation that was not really an option.

"I have a question for the two of you," his voice was authoritative and strict as per usual, he really didn't know any other way to address people. Gaara, the eternal people person … no that just didn't work. He walked almost robotically over to the couch and sat himself between Kankuro and Temari with his arms crossed like he always had them and stubbornly glared at the carpet for a moment.

Kankuro finally took actual notice since his brother had never willingly sat on the couch with them to talk, "What is it?"

Gaara wasn't particularly sure how to word the question that seemed obvious and simple in his mind so he said the first thing that he though would make sense and be as painless to him as possible, "What does it mean when a person gets an odd sensation in the pit of their stomach? Almost like the sensation a person gets when falling, and their heartbeats speed up too."

"You mean when a person gets butterflies in their stomach," asked Temari who cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"Butterflies?" Gaara was pretty much clueless about such expressions so 'butterflies in the stomach' sounded pretty odd to him.

"It sounds like it," Kankuro responded, "It's a sensation people get when they are nervous, embarrassed, or even like someone. Why?"

"No reason," the youngest sand sibling said quickly before getting to his feet and quickly leaving the room before anyone could say anything more about the subject.

Temari's eyes followed her youngest brother with the same questioning look on her face, "What do you think that was about?"

Kankuro simply shrugged and went back to flipping TV channels, "Who knows with Gaara."

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**Hehe Gaara has butterflies in his tummy! Ever wondered what it would be like if someone decided to kiss Gaara? Well his brain gets stuck that's what happens and it made that 'eh' sound and everything lol!**

**Yes, I know it's a kiss on the forehead and not a lip-lock, but its cute damn it! Lol! Yes as I said before it takes a few chapters before the fluff begins to overload (which it will do eventually I guarantee that). **

**Thank you all for the reviews I love you so much!**

**Starchip13**


	14. Twenty Questions

**Chapter #14**

**Twenty Questions**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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Time off. Just what the doctor ordered for Iwate Cassandra who, over the past few weeks, had been running herself absolutely ragged. Her father had insisted she take a few leisure days to just relax and he had also talked to Daiki and convinced him that Cassie was well overdue for a holiday. So they ended up cornering her on the subject – her father had treated her to dinner out and Daiki just _happened_ to show up – that was when they sprung the news on her which they both knew she would not take well.

Iwate Cassandra was like a robot programmed to work efficiently and almost constantly. She felt useless otherwise, and a vacation had to be one of the things she dreaded most. Sure she could handle a day or two off, but after a while it would quickly get old, there was no way she was going to survive two weeks with her sanity in tact.

Cassandra placed her hand on her face and slowly dragged it down making a funny annoyed face in the bathroom mirror. She was so very bored and it was only day two, and to make it worse Daichi and Hale had somehow found the time to clean the house top to bottom on their own and stocked the house full of food, cleaners, and other things so shopping wasn't even necessary.

After taking her time showering, dressing in the first thing she pulled out of her closet, – a regular skirt and a semi loose fitting t-shirt – and pulling her hair up into a short ponytail Cassie went down to the kitchen to find a note from her father and a little money.

_Cass,_

_Go shopping, we don't need anything, I want you to go shopping for yourself you got that young lady? Buy something nice, maybe some new cloths and a treat for yourself, and try and enjoy your time off of work. _

_Hana and I will be going out to a friend's house and won't be back until late, but Gina is having friends over tonight so that should be fun now shouldn't it? _

_Love you,_

_Dad_

Hana had gone to her job as a waitress at Daichi's restaurant, Gina was working the morning shift at the shelter, Daichi was managing the restaurant, and Hale was doing low ranked missions around the village, and then there was Cassandra at home doing nothing. It almost depressed her – almost – her bright outlook reminded her that at least for one day she could spend her useless time downtown enjoying something to eat or looking in shops.

"What do you say guys," Cassandra asked aloud to her dogs who where sitting patiently by her feet wagging their tails happily, "You feel like going out today with me?"

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'_Butterflies,'_ when Gaara had stopped to think about it the term was actually appropriate, though knowing what it meant didn't stop the conflict in Gaara's mind. Having grown up without any sort of true love or affection he still couldn't quite grasp the concept.

He still had a lot of questions like: why don't they stop? Why were they only getting worse and why did a new wave of them always bring back fresh memories of having her so close? What was he supposed to do about them? Did it mean he was supposed to do something? It was enough to give Gaara a headache, and his sense of pride kept him from approaching either of his siblings with such inquiries.

It being the weekend didn't help much in the fact that he had didn't have paperwork to distract him, no matter how boring it sometimes was.

'_If I don't do something I will go insane,'_ he mentally stated as he got up and headed for the door. He didn't know where he was going, but as long as it was time consuming he really didn't care much.

He walked quickly down the streets not paying much attention to where he was going. He didn't even realize he had wondered into the downtown area until he nearly bumped into some children who were to busy playing catch to notice him. Maybe Cassandra's method of walking whenever she felt restless actually worked. Not that he would ever admit to her she was right.

On the weekend the main downtown area was bustling with merchants and people shopping on their days off of work for the things they needed, for a desert village it was actually quite prosperous and bustling, it was also one of the most powerful ninja village next to Konohagakure.

"Kobi slow down we have all day," that voice was familiar, to familiar, "Cori stop licking my arm that tickles!"

A small tired scowl formed on the red head's face and he slumped slightly, _'There is no way my luck is that bad.'_

Like always Cassandra had her dogs with her, both of their leads held on one hand, being dragged along slightly by the larger animal who insisted on sniffing everything and everyone around them. Cassie just smiled and laughed at the dog's antics and followed along behind them almost like she was meant to be the obedient one. It was amazing how child-like she was in that way, nothing really seemed to concern her much, she was much more fun loving than anyone else her age. She was small and thin like most little girls, she wore cloths that looked slightly baggy making her seem even smaller, she had a slightly rounded childish face, and those eyes of hers were much to big and shone way to brightly to seem to belong to a sixteen-year-old. It was like time stopped her at age nine, a child trapped in an adult body, or so to speak.

'_Its completely ridicules,' _he told himself but for some reason he found himself following her, just out of range of Kobi's senses naturally. It was almost like the two were magnetized to find each other. It would explain why they were so different, opposites attract, and no pair was more different than Cassandra and Gaara, _'Temari and Kankuro just told me about the stupid butterflies to drive me insane. This is just moronic I should just go home…'_

Then the dog began to growl again, Gaara had accidentally gotten a little to close, his luck really was that bad.

Cassie turned around blinking slightly in confusion when she first saw Gaara who stood almost frozen only a few feet behind her. The rust-haired Kage had never known a person with eyes like hers that almost made him stop breathing, and he had certainly not known anyone before that would start smiling so warmly and run up to him giggling softly.

"Konichiwa Gaara-kun I thought you would be at the Kazekage tower today," she greeted warmly still giving that same charming child like smile. She was wearing a plain t-shirt that hung off her slightly crookedly exposing a small portion of her shoulder, it draped over her middle over top of a short dark green skirt that exposed her long slender legs. Her hair was tied back with her ponytail coming out the back of her cap, and as always she was wearing a worn down pair of white sneakers. The only way she could have looked more like a child was if she had a giant lollypop and a teddy bear clutched in her free arm.

Gaara looked away from those eyes of hers to clear his mind a bit, "Even Kazekage's have days off."

"Ya I guess you're right, with how hard you must have to work I bet you deserve some time off," Cassie laughed rubbing the back of her head, "I was sort of forced into a mini vacation that I really don't think I earned. Dad and Hale won't let me do a thing at home, and I kind of dread what they are going to do for supper…" She shivered recalling what her father had done to her kitchen last time he had been in it, it was the stuff nightmares were made of.

"So," her sudden speaking almost made Gaara jump – almost – "Did you have something planned today Gaara-kun?"

"No." He replied simply, he wondered why she wanted to know, "Why?"

"Well I was just doing a bit of shopping – not for anything really – I guess I'm just trying to kill time, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Now that was the shock of shocks in Gaara's mind. Why the hell was she so determined to spend time with him anyway? He was about to simply say no and leave when Cassie did that wide-eyed-cute-head-tilt-o-doom and his jaw seemed to clench, _'Is this some kind of obscure Jutsu?'_

Whatever it was Gaara eventually caved giving a small grunt that Cassie could only guess represented 'ya' or 'sure whatever' like he would normally answer.

Smiling brighter Cassandra walked alongside Gaara, having much more of a spring in her step than he did, and simply watching everything around her. They didn't really talk much, or rather Gaara didn't, often Cassandra would start up about something but no conversation lasted very long since Gaara wasn't talkative. Most of the time for him was spent trying to figure out exactly what kind of Jutsu the girl must have been using on him to keep him following her like one of her dogs. He came up with no theories that were plausible.

"Do you want some ice cream," she asked out of the blue catching Gaara of guard and bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Ice cream," she repeated pointing to a small ice cream vender, "Do you want any?"

Gaara shook his head.

Shrugging Cassandra began rummaging through her purse for her wallet, "Well I think I will go buy a cone for myself then real quick."

The raccoon boy followed Cassie over to the cart and watched as she examined the menu of flavors, and also as she handed the man some money and gave her order, "I'll have a strawberry flavored cone please."

"Here you go little lady," the vender responded as he gave Cassie her ice cream cone. She took it gratefully and started licking the sides before it could melt from the heat.

"I love strawberry." Her comment seemed almost random as they continued walking down town and she continued slowly eating her frozen treat, "You know we have known each other for a little while now Gaara-kun and we probably don't know that much about each other."

'_That is probably an understatement,' _thought Gaara but he kept the comment to himself, "I guess."

"You up for twenty questions?"

"What's that?"

"Wow childhood joy just skipped right over you now didn't it?" Cassandra chuckled remembering how he really didn't know much about simple games most people would learn when they were young. "The name of the game pretty much says it all actually. We each start off with twenty questions, and we take turns asking them. Any question at all, and you have to answer which means no chickening out. When we are finished we end up knowing twenty things about each other we never knew before."

"Sounds kind of pointless, I already know all I need to know."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, "Really then what is my favourite colour?"

Gaara muttered under his breath for a moment, "This is pointless because I am not even _interested_ in knowing that kind of thing. Its mostly just useless information, what does it matter if I know what colour you like?"

"You're just being like that because I stumped you," she stated in an all-knowing tone, "You have no idea do you?"

"… No."

"Then can't you just humor me?"

There was no way out of it so Gaara had no choice but to comply, "Fine, then what is your favourite colour anyway?"

"Green," she replied with a grin, "What's yours?"

Gaara didn't have many favorites for anything really so he just said the first one that came to mind, "Red."

"See now we're down to nineteen questions each," Cassie pointed out proudly, "Now you ask me another question."

The young Kazekage paused for a moment to think, "Where you born here in Suna or Konoha like your brother?"

"I was born in Konoha too," she replied before eyeing him suspiciously, "How did you know my brother was born in Konoha?"

"I'm the Kazekage and I have access to everyone's files so I decided to check" he shrugged, "What's your favourite pastime?"

"I don't know I have a few … playing the piano I guess, but I'm not really that good, it's kind of silly," Cassandra giggled, "When did you get the tattoo and why did you chose Love? I have been wondering why someone like you chose something so … sweet sounding."

"It was more or less an accident and I didn't choose. It was something that was kind of forced on me ever since I was little," he grumbled not liking that he had to explain himself to such a pest of a girl. Plus he had to keep thinking of random questions just to humor her so he kept going with things he could think of off the top of his head, "What's your favourite food?"

"Strawberries," she giggled taking a lick of her ice cream, "Why do you have dark circles around your eyes?"

"I don't sleep," he stated simply, he continued when he felt the obvious question being emitted from Cassandra's eyes, "Not a night my entire life. Why that is, is my business. It's my turn to ask a question now isn't it … did you ever attend the Konoha ninja academy?"

"Ya for two years actually, but I didn't think I had any type of record."

"You didn't, you're just a little too fast and agile not to have ninja training."

"Very observant Kazekage-sama," Cassandra laughed giving a nod of approval, "What is your favourite song?"

Gaara's mouth seemed to wire shut for a moment. It was obviously something he preferred not answering, but there was no getting away from it, "Moonlight Sonata."

The ebony haired teen's jaw dropped slightly, "But you said before-"

"What's your favourite flower," he asked quickly before Cassandra could finish her sentence. He hadn't really thought about it before he said it. Gaara just needed something – anything really – to distract her.

"Daisies."

And so on. You can guess how the rest of the little 'game' went without it actually be described question for question. Cassandra seemed to have a whole reel of pre-meditated questions for the sand shinobi lined up – she had been contemplating a lot of things about him for a while – and she was always quick and eager to ask with no real sense of 'I hope I don't put him on the spot' in her mind at all. Gaara meanwhile would simply look around for inspiration for random questions. Eventually he knew close to twenty of Cassie's likes and dislikes, but he kept telling himself he really didn't care, he was only humoring the girl after all. The odd thing was that everything she answered stuck in his mind, almost like he would remember it for a long time to come.

For example he remember that she loved lavender scented soaps, strawberry cake, DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), and despite the fact that she lived in a desert village she loved the snow. Evidently when she lived in Konoha she would go snowboarding down the mountains in the winter. It was amazing how easily something like that stuck itself in Gaara's mind better than most documents he had to memorize.

"I have to head home before my dad or brother get there and start supper," Cassandra realized as she glanced at her watch. She hadn't realized how much time she had spent with Gaara, it was much longer than she had intended to stay in town, "Otherwise my house is going to be a smoking crater. I'll see you later ok Gaara-kun? Baibai!"

(A/N: Baibai _Bye-bye_ it was just the way I pictured someone 'child-like' would say good-bye to Gaara.)

Gaara turned around to walk home and finally muttered, "Temari, Kankuro, you can come out of hiding."

The sand siblings slowly emerged from their hiding spots and undid their transformations they used to look like part of the crowd to try and fool Gaara. It hadn't worked. They were nervous as to what Gaara would do after finding out they had taken up attempting to spy on him, but they had been curious as to why Gaara had been asking them about 'butterflies'.

"Uh hey little bro fancy meeting you here," Kankuro made an attempt at sounding natural but only got a sharp poke in the ribs from Temari telling him to shut up.

"If you even breathe a word of this to anyone and it will be your last," Gaara stated so calmly someone would have thought it was almost like breathing to him. It was so like Gaara. Short, and to the point.

Having a sense of self preservation both Temari and Kankuro clammed up and silently walked home with Gaara. But on the inside they each had wide grins on – much to Gaara's irritation – because they were the only ones who could actually tell why Gaara was acting so peculiar. It would be a secret they would take to their death beds if he had anything to say about it.

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**Yes, Cassie-chan did spend a few years in ninja training! We can't have her being completely defenseless now can we? I know it seems like a breezed over the fact a little to easily but you will find out more later I promise!**

**Starchip13**


	15. Strawberry Ice Cream

**Chapter #15**

**Strawberry Ice Cream**

**Disclaimer: Ok I do not own Naruto and Co I confess damn it!**

**Here is another chapter to make your weekend that much more enjoyable!**

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"Kami have mercy and just shoot me now," Cassandra whined to no one in particular.

As her father's note had stated he was out with Hana and wouldn't be back until late so Gina and her two friends had taken over the household, and Hale – upon seeing the female only household – had announced that he would stay at a friend's house the night. Poor Cassandra had pretty much been abandoned to the mercy of Gina. She was the one stuck cooking the three large Pizzas, and refilling drinks and chip bowls. Never before had Cassandra felt so much like Cinderella.

Over the stereo Gina had been playing music, there wasn't really any music Cassandra loathed, but playing anything at top volume with enough bass to vibrate cups off the kitchen counter could get on anyone's nerves after two hours. With such noise Cassandra found it impossible to try and ignore Gina and her friends by doing some of her studying in the kitchen which would have usually been her escape.

The doorbell sounded and one of Gina's friends called out from the living room, "That will be the pizza! Get it will you Cass-chan?!"

Cassandra sighed getting up from her chair in the kitchen and mocked Gina and her friends as she went. She opened the door and turned to greet whoever it was rather unenthusiastically, "Konichi-"

There had been no time to finish her sentence before a curtain blonde Kunoichi with four spiky ponytails invited herself in with a backpack slung over her shoulders and a grin on her lips, "Hey Cassie-chan it looked like you needed reinforcements, actually it kind of sounded like it three or four blocks ago when I started hearing music. I figured you either needed help or a hearing aide past that point."

"I think both," responded Cassandra who could only follow Temari who already walked around her house as though she were as familiar with it as Gaara was, "But that still leaves questions as to why you thought you'd come help me."

"It's simple," Temari stated as they both sat themselves down at the kitchen table and Temari pulled a couple of small tubs of ice cream, "If I sat at home to eat this with Kankuro I would never get any."

"You have strawberry flavored," Cassandra shrieked snatching one of the little tubs from Temari. Suddenly one of her eyebrows cocked when she saw multiple tubs of strawberry flavored ice cream, "Either you have the same strawberry fetish I do, this is a stroke of luck for me, or you were totally listening in on my conversation with your brother earlier today."

Temari gave a nervous chuckle, "Uh … damn you catch on quick for someone with the maturity level of an eight-year-old."

"You're terrible you know that Temari-chan, it's rude to spy on people," Cassie gave a childish pout but got a spoon to start eating her share of the ice cream none the less.

"Sorry I couldn't help it," chuckled Temari, "I have never seen Gaara just submit to something like a childish game so easily I had to struggle not to laugh. His whole attitude when he's around you changes you know, sometimes around you he even looks happy, you know happy compared to his normal anal self. We were kind of tipped off when he asked us what butterflies were."

One of Cassie's dark slender eyebrows cocked up slightly, "Butterflies?"

"Ya you know what you get butterflies in your stomach if you're nervous or like someone," Temari explained in an uninterested voice.

"Why would Gaara-"

"You know what I also brought more movies if you want to watch something, I brought something I think you'll like its called _V for Vendetta_, it was pretty damn awesome," interrupted Temari.

(A/N: _V for Vendetta_ is a kick ass movie, watch it, I command you! Ok back to the story)

Cassie gave a small sigh, "Temari you're terrible."

"Yes but you know I kick ass."

The two girls laughed, and it was a long time before they were able to glance at each other before starting in another fit of giggles. It felt nice to laugh, to be happy, that's why Cassandra always smiled even when her mood wasn't matching her actions, even when she felt like crying she always smiled. Her work-a-holic attitude had always kept her from making 'girlfriends' which sometimes made her feel a little lonely since her brother and father always worked. Then she stumbled upon Gaara and for some reason she felt she should be his friend because they had the same eyes, lonely eyes, he was someone that spent a while life alone without anyone who would talk to him freely and be a friend, a friend like her. Plus he was a hell of a lot of fun to tease.

"I haven't had this much fun in so long Temari really," a genuine smile grew ever wider on Cassandra's face, "I know I work way to much but I hate feeling useless, I always need to be doing something productive, but I never really made time for my self. Kind of pathetic isn't it?"

"Well … maybe just a little bit," Temari chuckled, "But hey its not to late to start thinking a little bit about yourself, you can't save everyone on your own no matter how much you want to try, believe me if you get yourself hurt again Gaara will lock you in a closet."

"Good point … I never really thought about how much trouble I get myself into sometimes, I guess I must worry everyone a lot."

"Just be glad your dad hasn't had a heart attack."

"Oi Cass who is that anyway," Gina asked sounding uninteresting as she walked past them to get a pop from the fridge, "I remember her coming to get the Kazekage after the bombings but I never caught the chicks name … not that I would have listened sitting across the table from a damn-"

"Could it kill you to be a little polite Gina and possible show some respect for your Kazekage," Cassie interjected before sticking another spoonful of strawberry ice cream in her mouth, "Her name is Temari she's Gaara's older sister."

Gina just gave a small huff and stuck her nose in the air before turning back to the living room.

Temari gave an exaggerated shiver, "I could feel the tension, what was that about anyway?"

"We've never gotten along at all, ever since she started working at the shelter where I work," Cassie shrugged, "She and I both had a crush on this guy Daiki who also works there and I guess she doesn't take very kindly to competition so she dedicated her life to making mine a complete hell. I know it sounds a little petty but on full tilt that girl is the only person on god's green acre that can push all my buttons at the same time."

One of Temari's eyebrows cocked slightly but she tried to remain nonchalant as possible, "So you still like this guy Daiki? Is that why even though you live in the same house she insists on acting like a bitch?"

Cassandra should have expected such a question which made her curse even bringing up the details about Daiki, she should have just stopped at 'we've never gotten along', she may have asked questions but it would have been easy to lie. Rubbing the back of her head slightly she only smiled and gave a small chuckle, "You know I am not really sure to tell you the truth. It just seems too childish to me now, you know how it goes, as you get older you outgrow things and sometimes scold yourself for things you may have thought in the past. Kind of like getting a little wiser you know?"

"I get what you're saying," the blonde Kunoichi nodded, "You know sometimes when I'm bored I sit around and just laugh at some of the things I used to think of as a kid."

'_Ya I laugh at it now, it really was kind of childish, Daiki never would have thought of me as more than an employee or apprentice,'_ thought Cassie as they continued to joke around coming up with absurd conversation topics for hours on end, _'But I really do think I still am a fool because the men I seem to take a liking to will never return my feelings. I'm really just a fool aren't I?'_

After hours of nonsense conversation, joking, endless teasing, fits of laughter, and about three more buckets of strawberry flavored ice cream for Cassandra time only just seemed to keep slipping by for the girls. Before they knew it, it was well into the early morning hours, and Gina and her friends had long since fallen asleep. Cassandra and Temari decided it best if they went upstairs to continue their rather loud conversations and stayed up even longer.

Instead of just drifting to sleep the two of them simply passed out from exhaustion after the ice cream sugar high wore off. Temari was sprawled over Gina's bed with her feet on the pillow and her head resting against the foot board. Cassandra was sitting on the floor with her back against the side of her bed and her knees pulled into her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Her chin and mouth were gently resting on her knees and her long bangs were covering most of her face.

Gaara gently pushed the strands of hair out of her face so he could see her closed eyes, _'I really have to tell her to get a better lock on that window.'_

Moving silently and quickly Gaara slipped one arm behind her back and one hand under her knees to he could lift her bridal style onto her bed. It had almost become a habit since most often Cassie would have herself propped up against her headboard with pillows and have a book in her hand or be asleep on the couch in the living room with her music notebook in her hand after trying to work out new lyrics for her songs (Gaara read them once or twice, they actually weren't bad). It only confirmed further in his mind that she was more like a child than anyone he had ever met, someone that needed someone to always be behind her to make sure she was ok; she was almost fragile because she was so small and just so oblivious to the world.

She unconsciously curled up under the blankets pulling the edge of the covers up to her nose and bringing her knees into her chest again. It was the way she always slept.

'_Just like a child,'_ Gaara couldn't help but shake his head as he turned to leave. He always kept telling himself she was nothing but a pain, but then if he hated always having to keep and eye on her then why did he do it? Perhaps it was almost a relief to have someone who would trust him enough not to care that he could easily get in and out of her house. No one had even wanted to come anywhere near him much less actually sudjest they try using the front door when they wish to come in. Only she would always smile when she saw him, she seemed like she was always happy, but her face would always light up when she was around him.

"Now that is cute," Temari mumbled tiredly stretching her limbs, "I didn't know you disappeared at night so you could come tuck Cassie-chan in."

"Kami," Gaara muttered under his breath, he had hoped Temari wouldn't wake up, but she was not a ridiculously deep sleeper like Gina was.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone if that is what you're so damn worried about, I just think its cute is all, my opinion doesn't matter much to anyone if I don't tell anyone," Gaara's blonde sister sat up lazily slouched over and her eyes still half shut with sleep as she yawned, "I also think she's a nice girl … so do you like her or what?"

A stupid question Gaara was not going to answer. He wanted to keep his self respect so he was not about to admit anything. He just turned toward the window he had come through without a word and disappeared in a swirl of sand.

Temari who was too tired to car fell back down on the matrices, this time with her head on the pillow, and almost instantly fell back to sleep again.

None of the exhausted girls would so much as role over in their sleep all night and Iwate Daichi and Hana would come back to find a rather nasty mess to clean up.

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**Yay, a little girl time between Temari and Cassie! **

**Over 60 reviews! I am so freaking happy right now, that's a new record for me! Thank you to all who reviewed I shall come and hug all of you while you sleep tonight (that was not meant to sound as stocker-ish as it seemed I swear)**

**Starchip13**


	16. Challenge: Find Cassie's Fear!

**Chapter #16**

**Challenge: Find Cassie's Fear!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**This is my writing on a day when I have consumed way to much Pepsi and Caffeine than is good for my health so this might be edging a little bit toward humor on some little quirks. I get to write a few jokes other than Cassie-chan's sarcasm yah! I had so much fun writing this its insane…**

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Gina yawned sitting across the table from her friends as they each munched down a bowl of cereal, all of them were to tired to talk, that happens when people come off a sugar rush. They are completely drained of all energy the hours afterward.

Across from Gina sat her two friends Aki and Minako. Aki was thin and wiry with a face filled with freckles and her sand coloured hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Minako was a tall girl with light brown hair and matching hazel eyes. All three sat silently eating their breakfast with only the clanking of their spoons echoing between them.

As the silence continued Cassandra came tiredly down the stairs closely followed by Temari, also completely drained. Cassie just have a wide mouthed yawn and stretched her arms in the air to work out the kinks, "Damn I need a caffeine fix so badly it's almost insane. How about you Temari?"

"I'm starving," was Temari's only response as she took an empty seat at the table and completely ignored all the other people in the room.

Gina blinked watching Cassandra grab two more bowls from the cupboard when she noticed a large black spider scuttling its way across the table. Gina let out an ear splitting scream making everyone at the table jump, Aki and Minako sprung from their chairs, and Temari simply felt backward in her chair when Gina's scream jolted her awake. Gina continued screaming even after she had put a whole room between her and the spider, "DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT I HATE SPIDERS THEY ARE SO CREEPY!"

"Oh quit being a woos it's just a little spider," Temari snapped winding up to smack the little bug flat when Cassandra caught her arm.

"You know its bad luck to kill a spider, if you do it will rain," Cassandra reminded with a sigh. Instead of hitting the spider she held one of her palms out flat and used the other hand to shoo it onto her palm, once she had it sitting quietly on her hand she took it over to the window and let it go, "But you are right, it's a spider, to be so … explosively afraid of just a little one seems a little odd to me. I mean I've seen the normal spider fear but … damn Gina you take the cake."

Temari chuckled, "Rain Cassie-chan? Come on we live in a desert do you know the chances of us getting rain?"

"She actually picked up that spider," Gina gave a disgusted shiver, "Seriously Cass picks up spiders, she runs into burning buildings, and she hangs out with Sabaku No Gaara. Does she fear _anything_?"

Aki pondered for a moment, "Ya now that you mention it I don't recall Cassie-chan ever being scared…"

"Well everyone has to be afraid of something," Minako pointed out.

A look of realization dawned on Gina's face followed by a rather large grin, "You know Mina-chan you are right! There has to be something that she is afraid of, and you know what we are going to find out what it is! We'll make a challenge out of it, whoever finds out what she is afraid of first gets treated to the movies, the deadline will be this evening!"

"I can hear you," Cassie yelled into the living room where Gina was plotting from the dining room where Cassandra had been eating her breakfast with Temari, "If you're going to attempt to plot against me behind my back try not to yell or at least leave the house."

**Test #1 – Darkness/Sharp Objects/Blood**

Some while later Cassandra had showered and dressed while Temari left to go tend to her shinobi duties promising to come back that night. It was fortunate for Cassandra that since after the party there was quite a bit of cleaning and shopping that needed to be done. She started her task by washing the dishes from the night before not suspecting much of anything, though she was vaguely aware of the three other girls skulking around the house setting up their first test.

While she was in the middle of rinsing the soap suds off the dinner plates the lights suddenly went out – all the curtains were drawn so the house was pitch black – leaving her completely blind.

Cassandra did not scream or even jump she just cursed under her breath before muttering, "Gina this couldn't have waited until I was finished could it?"

The lights flicked back on.

Sticking strait out of the cupboard covered in badly made fake blood was one of the just recently cleaned butcher knifes. It had been strategically place on the corner of the cupboard that was right by her face so it would be the first thing she saw.

"I _just_ watched that knife," she sighed pulling the knife from the cupboard and tossing it so it would land sitting out of the door frame only inches from Minako's face, "stop being annoying."

"Let's see," Aki looked at her list crossing out a few points, "Darkness no, blood no, and sharp objects definitely not…"

"She either has very good aim or very bad aim I am not quite sure," Gina commented helping Minako into the living room since she looked like she was about to faint.

**Test #2 – Bees/Robbers**

While the laundry was being washed Cassandra was reading – all the other in-house chores were finished – and making a little bit of progress on her song lyrics.

_Buzz._

"Can't you hear my heart beat so, I can't let you go," Cassandra whispered her lyrics to herself to test how the words sounded aloud.

_Buzz._

Her eyebrow twitched ever so slightly but she did not look up from her notebook, instead she lifted her arm and gave the annoying bee that had been hovering its way around her head for the last ten minutes a hard flick that sent it bolting across the room and hitting the opposite wall, "…want you in my life."

Meanwhile there was a thunderous crash of someone tumbling down the stairs – or rather dragged down by the dogs – though again she paid no attention, even when she could hear the cries of help coming from an unfamiliar man. She just continued jotting notes before she finally caved and yelled a little piece of advice, "If you keep struggling Kobi will go for the crotch you know."

The unknown male gave a wail of agony making Cassandra let out a small giggle, she wasn't going to be outright cruel, and she was going to help him … eventually.

"Now if you want me to call them off you have to tell me which one of Gina's friends you are," Cassandra stated standing over the pitiful excuse at a scare tactic attempt, a young man wearing a mask over his face with a kunai in his hand.

"I-I'm Minako's older brother," he stuttered for a moment holding his kunai out intending to still make a last stitch attempt at scaring Cassandra.

"Now you really don't think I'm that defenseless do you," Cassandra smiled, it was almost warm and cheery, but it sent a chill down the young man's spine.

Ten seconds later she the boy – who was naturally taller and stronger _looking_ than Cassie – by the arm holding it in a painful position behind his back as she forcibly took him to the door and literally kicked him all the way to the curb. The scary part about it was that she was still smiling with satisfaction.

"Bees no," Gina announced to her friends from their hiding place just outside the living room window, "Robbers no."

**Test #3 – Heights/Loud Noises**

"Wow," Cassie looked down from the high rooftop of the still under construction apartment building. She had simply been dragged there by Gina, Aki, and Minako as soon as she had left the house to go grocery shopping. The building was at least seven or eight stories tall so it was a decent height.

Gina, Aki, and Minako stood just behind her waiting patiently for a reaction.

"You're right from this height you do get a good view of the village. Hey did you guys noticed all of the extra clouds coming in? I wonder if maybe we're going to get some kind of weather," commented Cassie as she looked out toward the horizon then strait down, "This really is a tall building if we fell from here we could die."

"Well she's not afraid of heights," Minako sighed crossing that point off the list.

"Plan B," Gina muttered pulling an air horn from her purse, held it out right behind Cassie's head, and press the button.

Cassandra nearly jumped off the edge of the building in surprise covering her ears with her hands.

"Scare ya?" Aki asked.

"What," Cassie yelled after being deafened by the air horn, "I can't hear what you just said but right now I don't care. I just think its fare to warn you than you have three seconds to run before I throw you all off this goddamn roof."

Gina, Aki, and Minako took Cassandra's advice.

** … **

"So she's not afraid of lizards, frogs, needles, cats, fish, leaches, sharks, doctors, poison, crowds, being alone, ridicule, fast speeds, loud noises, or open spaces either," Aki sighed sitting across the kitchen table from her friends as she read all the options on the list they proved wrong. It was an agonizingly long list.

"Damn this kid is bionic … though the open spaces thing was a bit of a stretch I mean we living in a desert it doesn't get to much more open," Gina muttered raking her brain for new ideas, "We haven't tried small spaces yet."

Hales laughter could be heard from the kitchen, "I'll save you time and tell you that she is most definitely not afraid of small spaces, she actually prefers small spaces to open spaces."

"Well she hangs out with the demon raccoon so she is definitely not afraid of death, pain, torcher, sand, or loosing her sanity," Minako pointed out as she slumped in her seat, "Gina-chan this isn't working there has to be another way to figure this out, if we keep guessing we'll be doing this all week."

"I know, I know just give me a minute to think."

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Still out shopping Cassandra was standing by a produce stand trying to figure out what she would be making for supper that night, that and she was half praying that Gina wasn't following her anymore. She had after all just gotten her hearing back to normal and she wanted to keep it that way.

'_Peace and quiet at last,'_ she gave a small sigh of relief up until the point where she felt a hand on her shoulder, then she felt more like screaming.

Ready to murder Gina she spun around angrily to find herself staring at a curtain red headed Kazekage. She had to slap her hand over her mouth for a moment to stop herself from the yelling she had almost done and took a long breath to come herself down.

Gaara cocked a non-existent eyebrow, "Are you … ok?"

"I'm fine," Cassandra assured giving another long sigh and running her hand through her hair in exasperation, "Gina and her friends have been following me around all day because she started a stupid challenge to find out what my fear is. They've been setting bees loose in the house, turning out lights so I trip over things; they even shoved me onto a goddamn cart and rolled it down a hill. And you know what? I think I am finally starting to snap."

"So," Gaara scratched his head for a moment, "That explains why you have been carrying around a snake in your grocery bag for the last half hour."

"Ya they slipped it in there before I left the house. I'm planning on putting it in Gina's bed tonight," admitted Cassie, "I might even keep him as a pet."

"OH NO YOU DON'T," Gina jumped from her hiding spot looking slightly green from just thinking of the possibility of having a snake slipped into her bed.

'_Cleaver, instead of finding out where Gina was hiding she got her to come out on her own … who'd have thought Cassandra would have the brains for that,'_ Gaara thought, almost amused at the sight … almost. Either way it had been great entertainment, and he did wonder if Gina would actually find something Cassandra was afraid of. When he thought about it he had never seen Cassandra frightened either, and for the raccoon demon boy that was saying a lot.

"One more of these little tests of yours and I swear you will find the biggest and hairiest tarantula on the face of this earth on your pillow in the morning," threatened Cassandra.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Would I?"

Gaara wasn't really paying attention to such a petty, trivial, and going a hundred miles to nowhere argument. Instead his eyes and mind wondered to an obviously out of character feature in the desert that day, the thick layer of clouds, _'Looks like its going to rain here for once, it hasn't rained here since … its been way to long to remember, and the few times it rains here it pours. It going to be a pain if it causes floods, this village isn't built for it.'_

Right on cue there was a low rumble that echoed in the distance.

'_There is no way my luck is that bad, I live in a desert and my luck is actually going to let it storm here,'_ Cassandra gave a defeated inward cry before covering her quick look of dismay with yet another smile, "Hey you know every window in the house is open at home if I don't get back quick and flood them the rain will get in. It was nice to see you Gaara-kun but I gotta go quickly! Baibai!"

The Kazekage watched the small dark haired teen take off down the street wondering what her odd behavior was about, and wondering why on earth windows had been open at their house. In the desert leaving one's windows open was almost as bad as shoveling sand into their living rooms or turning on a sauna. Something was up, but what was it?

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**I'll be updating quicker than usual over the next few weeks because I have a Christmas special I want to post that is in later chapters. There will be lots of fluff and some good fight scenes between now and then so keep reviewing if you wanna see them!**

**Starchip13**


	17. Thunder and Lightning

**Chapter #17**

**Thunder and Lightning**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Weeps) so many reviews! I am soooo happy right now you have no idea! And since I am so happy and I have a snow day today I decided to post another chapter for you to enjoy!**

**Keep it up everyone!**

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Gaara had never seen anyone run so fast in his life as he followed Cassandra home. For a girl who had only gone through a few years in a ninja academy she could sure boot it like crazy when she was really in a hurry. She began to run even faster when the rain finally began to wash over everything and the thunder got louder. Cassandra must had stumbled half a dozen times, and he was sure he heard her whimpering.

Cassandra's soaked bangs were clinging to her face making it harder for her to see where she was going but she just kept gunning it letting her feet go on autopilot to her house. By the time she reached her street her feet were barely even touching the ground anymore, or at least that was what it felt like. It felt like her chest was on fire while her skin had turned to ice from the rain. She continued running and cursing when her walk way came into view and she had been so determined to get into the house as quickly as possible Cassie nearly broke down the door.

There was no thought involved, Cassie was still on autopilot, and she didn't stop running – not even to take off her shoes since she just kicked them off on the run. Cassandra continued to the stairs and disappeared into her room with a slam of her door.

A few short seconds later Gaara had arrived and closed the door which Cassandra had left open in her rush, _'What on earth has gotten into that girl?'_

Gina and her friends came in the house only moments after cautiously walking around Gaara on their way upstairs to follow the fleeing girl. Gaara had been about to join them when he heard Hale talking to him from his rather comfortable spot on the couch, "I wouldn't bother if I were you, she'll have locked herself in the closet by now, you won't be getting her out until this storm is over."

The question just had to be asked, so Gaara was obviously the one to do it, "Why would she lock herself in a closet?"

"I would think the answer would be apparent by now," Hale shrugged drinking the soda in his hand as he watched flashes of new lightning through the living room window, "The reason why Gina, Aki, and Minako were so unlikely to find out Cassandra's worst fear is because of where we are. We live in the last place this kind of weather would ever be. The desert is the best place for a girl with Astraphobia would ever want to be other than the North Pole."

"Astraphobia … the fear of thunderstorms," realized Gaara. He was surprised he hadn't thought of it before, thinking back to when Cassandra first bolted he could have slapped himself for not noticing how obvious it was. It would have been the last thing he thought would scare Cassandra.

"Bingo," Hale gave an unenthusiastic cheer by making small circles in the air with his finger. "She's always hated thunderstorms ever since she was a little girl, but back then it was just a normal childhood fear and it was never nearly as bad. Though … you know my dad really blames himself for letting her get this bad about her fear – not that I don't too – it was really kind of a stupid thing."

"How stupid exactly?" asked Gaara.

Hale paused for a moment to glance a Gaara before looking down at the soda in his hands again with a long sigh, "Our mother was diagnosed with cancer when she was eight years old, it was pretty aggressive so our mom spent a lot of time in the hospital, and naturally dad was always by her side. Dad wasn't working much that year because of it so I was doing extra missions for money, and Cassie … well she always just stayed home and did all of the housework. I feel like a moron now! I never even thought … you know Cassie she'll just _smile_ all the time no matter what, and every time I offered to stay home or take her with me somewhere she would smile and tell me she was fine. That summer in Konoha was especially bad for storms and she was always alone."

Gaara had always been alone, it came with the territory of being a demon vessel, and he thought always been spoiled and left alone so was what love was as a young boy. Gaara had not been a stupid little boy though. He always had a feeling in his heart that would never go away, and he had only ever smiled when Yashamaru showed him kindness. He could almost sympathies, but Cassandra was different. Up until the point where her mother had gotten cancer she had known love, and then it had been suddenly taken away from her, but she still smiled.

"Mom had been hospitalized one week when her cancer finally spread from one lung to her second, and then to other tissue in the body without being stopped. Dad was called when she started coding repeatedly one night at supper and he insisted he should go see her. Naturally I wanted to go to but he told me to stay home and watch Cassie who had rarely been allowed to go to the hospital, and when she had mom had been so high on pain killers she could barely even remember she had a daughter. We just didn't want Cassandra to have to see her mother like that," explained Hale who took a sip of his soda before continuing. "I was being a stubborn moron that night so I decided to follow dad to the hospital anyway. Cassandra just smiled and told me she would finish the dishes. That night had been the worst storm of the season, the night mom died, and when I came home I didn't even notice Cassie wasn't there to welcome me home like she would always was. It took dad and me until morning before we realized she hadn't even slept in her bed, and it took even longer before we found her in the bedroom closet sleeping with that stuffed dog of hers."

Hale ran his hand through his hair not talking for a long time leaving an agonizingly long silence as the storm continued to pick up outside. There was genuine guilt in his voice when he had spoken before, and it sounded like he hated storms almost as much as his sister. He really did blame himself for worsening one of Cassandra's childhood fears.

(A/N: Some people have probably heard of 'Coding' but for those of you that haven't its just short for _Code Red_ which is kind of obvious.)

"Call him off! Call him off! Call him off!" Gina screamed as she and her friends were chased back down the stairs by Kobi. Not that there was much need because as soon as the frantic blonde was at the bottom of the stairs panting Kobi returned to Cassandra's room to – what Gaara guessed – guard her door.

"Cass is in her closet for some reason and she has it locked from the inside," oddly enough it sounded more like Gina was a whining child trying to tattle-tail on a naughty sibling rather than a teenage girl. "Who the hell let her put a lock on the inside of the closet?"

"Hey Cassie is scary when she's angry, and I wasn't about to stop her," Hale had in his hands in the air as though he were being held at gunpoint as he walked past Gina into the kitchen, "And there is no way Kobi or Cori will let you anywhere near that door anyway. At least not until Cassandra herself calls them off, and it's not like they'll leave her side regardless."

'_But that dog already knows what happens when it faces me,'_ There was a slightly smug edge of Gaara's thoughts as he got to his feet and headed for the stairs. No one dared to stop him. _'I should at least check on her to make sure she hasn't fainted again.'_

Kobi snarled as he neared the top of the stairs but Gaara just continued walking as though he didn't even notice the angered animal. He opened the door and as expected Cassandra was nowhere in sight so he headed for her closet, deciding to take Hale's word for it he didn't bother trying to open the door because it would obviously have been locked, he just stood outside the door for a moment next to Cori who had been lying in front of it. As soon as another crash of thunder sounded he could hear a tiny whimper on the other side and a serious of shuffling noises. Yup, she was in there alright.

He didn't even bother knocking he simply allowed his sand to slip under the door and unlock it from the inside.

All that was really visible of Cassandra was her messed head of raven coloured hair poking out from under the lowest shelf where she had made her own little safe place to completely block out the storm. Her blankets were pulled tightly around her body and her eyes were shut tight with her hands over her ears to try and block out everything.

'_Thunderstorms of all things,'_ Gaara could have almost laughed, _'she runs into burning buildings and she hangs around me without so much as flinching and thunderstorms are what scares her.'_

Without even thinking the Kazekage sat down just inside of the door frame and swept Cassie's hair out of her face gently with the tips of his fingers, _'Stupid girl…'_

Cassie's child-like green eyes shot open in an instant. She had always been rather jumpy when thunderstorms came around, and on top of that Gaara had been the last person she would have thought would come up to see her. By the way he kept avoiding her eyes she guessed he was either laughing at her on the inside or actually trying to comfort her – damn – where is a camera when you need one?

CRASH.

She had been so surprised about Gaara being there Cassandra had almost forgotten about the storm. That time had been particularly loud and deafening making Cassandra jump so badly that she sprung out from her little hiding spot and wrapped her arms around the first thing that was in front of her. AKA Sabaku No Gaara.

The petite teen clung to Gaara's middle for all she was worth, and buried her face in his chest. She gave a small whimper. This stunned Gaara almost as much as the time she had kissed him and once again he really wasn't sure what to do. He knew the guy was supposed to do something when the girl was afraid, he had seen it all the time in the mushy romantic movies Temari always watched, and he could remember the guy would always put his arms around the girl. Was he really supposed to do that though?

Having no other ideas in his mind Gaara put his arm around her shoulders allowing her to be pulled closer – if that was even possible – and the red headed sand shinobi discovered two things. One was that whatever he had done seemed to help with Cassandra's earthquake like shivering, and two was that he actually liked having her so close to him. It was that same odd sensation he had in his stomach he had when she had kissed him. He was starting to understand the feeling a little better every day he had her around, and the fact was that he always wanted her around. Whenever she wasn't close to him that empty feeling in his chest from when he was a child would return.

'_She always smiles,'_ he realized thinking back to every time he had seen her, and just like the thunder storm it had been the first day she had ever not been smiling, _'It's just like Hale said. No matter what happens she never seems sad, she even looks peaceful when she sleeps. It has to have taken a lot of effort to never cry even when no one would really blame her. It would take a strong person, someone stronger than me. I have attacked her time and time again, she's gotten herself hurt over and over, and she's never really frowned or even cried … even though she is scared to death now she is still not allowing herself to cry. She's as bottle up as I am.'_

The thunder crashed louder outside and as expected Cassandra jumped. Gaara continued to hold her close, so close the smell of lavender invaded his nostrils almost constantly. Lavender, he remembered she had told him she loved the smell in shampoo. In a desert it was not so common to come by so Gaara almost didn't know what it smelt like before. It smelled nice. She smelled nice.

The storm lasted hours and the whole time Cassie didn't ever seem to calm down all that much. She just kept shivering and trying to hide herself, and Gaara never let her go, _'She's got a strong will that never allows her to give up, she almost reminds me of Naruto or even Lee, but unlike either of them she is still very fragile even if she doesn't realize it. Cassie … she doesn't realize how small she really is…'_

After hours had passed and the storm finally started to die down somewhat Cassandra's exhaustion finally made her fall asleep. She slept as usual with her knees pulled up to her body, her arms were wrapped around Gaara's chest, and her head resting on his collar bone. Her features had finally relaxed so she looked peaceful once again.

When he was sure she was asleep he picked her up, but instead of carrying Cassandra to her bed he headed for the window murmuring, "Tonight you're going to stay at my place Cassie-chan, just so I can make sure you're going to be ok."

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**Aw! The first time Gaara calls Cassandra Cassie-chan and she's asleep! Now that is bad timing for Cassie, but hey what can you do? I have been looking forward to this chapter for a long time because this is the first time Gaara voluntarily shows affection toward her, not that he is going to admit it to anyone, but at least he finally admitted it to himself!**

**Starchip13**


	18. It was an Accident

**Chapter #18**

**It Was an Accident**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"Hey Gaara," Temari walked into the kitchen where Gaara had been sitting silently at the table drinking some tea, "You know how you said you wanted some information on Cassie-chan's background a while back?"

Gaara almost had to think for a minute since 'a while back' was a bit of an understatement. It had actually been quite some time since he had asked Temari about any files about Iwate Cassandra. Actually long before Cassandra's little game of twenty questions. Since then he hadn't thought about it much for a long while.

"Well I just got these from some Konoha shinobi Hokage-sama sent over, I thought you'd want it," shrugged the blonde as she set the file on the table, "Apparently these are the files that failed to get transferred when she and her family moved here. You have to file them here as well so everything is up to date with her."

Nodding Gaara took the file and started flipping through it finding some old news, and also some very interesting things. It had the normal things like her name, age, birthday, height, and so on plus a little bit about her history at the academy. Gaara had never actually found out much about Cassandra's Kunoichi training days, all he really knew was that she dropped out after a year because she was needed at home after her mother died, and not much else. That was the interesting part.

Iwate Cassandra entered the academy at age eight like every other student (forgive me if the ages are wrong this is just how I set it up), and dropped out shortly after she graduated only one year after. She was the top Kunoichi of her graduating class at age nine, she specialized in using weapons with Taijutsu and some good Ninjutsu, and she spent a little over a month training as a Genin in her three person squad under Maito Gai.

Those were the particular facts that caught Gaara's interest. Cassandra had admitted to being in the academy, but she never mentioned graduating the year after that at the top of her class. Had she gone on with her training she would have probably been an accomplished elite Kunoichi at the age she was, and seeing as Gai had been her instructor she would have been good with Taijutsu just like Lee. That aspect kind of made Gaara glad since he still thought both Gai and Lee were freaks no matter how good at Taijutsu they were.

'_She never mentioned this before,'_ he thought scanning over her files once more, _'But then again she never talks about herself much, not unless I have asked, any money says she'll just respond _you didn't ask_ if I ask her…'_

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_**It was finally the ceremony to welcome all the new students into the academy, the first step to becoming a successful shinobi, and eight-year-old Cassie couldn't have been more excited.**_

_**The Hokage stood in front of the crowd of the line up of new academy students Cassie stood among, and also in front of a large group of supporting friends and family that had come to congratulate the new trainee. Everyone in the crowd stayed quiet from their deep respect of the Hokage even though they were all fidgeting with excitement.**_

_**Cassandra's viridian eyes – even larger than usual at such a young age – glanced behind her to see if she could catch a glimpse of her parents, but they were nowhere in sight. At the time she simply brushed it off thinking they probably got stuck standing near the back where Cassie's small height wouldn't allow her to see them. It only began to worry her after the Hokage had finished speaking and everyone was allowed to move around again and she had still not seen hide nor hair of any of her family members.**_

_**When everyone began heading home Cassie was left standing alone in front of the academy. She continued to stand there and wait for quite some time coming up with all sorts of excuses in her mind for why they weren't there. Even at a young age she was an optimist.**_

"_**Cassie-chan why are you still here," old man Hokage asked when he noticed the girl, he had been about ready to head home himself.**_

"_**Mom and Dad said they would be walking me home after the ceremony," she responded.**_

_**The Hokage's graying eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he knelt down so he could be eye level with the tiny girl, "Iwate Rita was admitted to the hospital not long before the ceremony began Cassie-chan, I thought you would have been told…"**_

"_**The hospital," Cassandra tilted her head to the side slightly, "Hokage-sama is Mommy sick?"**_

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Groaning slightly Cassandra sat up and brushed some stray strands of dark hair out of her face, _'Damn … thunder storms always get to me like that – its painful – that is just my luck that we had such a storm in a desert.'_

Cassandra's eyes wondered around the room, it wasn't her room, but then again it wasn't exactly unfamiliar to her either. She had been in the room once before and recognized the piles of sand that littered the floor. It was Gaara's room and it was none other than Gaara himself who was standing off in a dark corner looking as menacing as usual.

"Good morning Gaara-kun," she yawned stretching her arms above her head.

Gaara didn't respond which Cassie half expected. Gaara was never really much of a talker anyway.

"Hey Gaara-kun why am I here," Cassandra asked taking advantage of the silence, "Why aren't I at home?"

"I wanted to ask you something," he stated blankly, "Why didn't you ever mention you were a former Genin?"

"You never asked." Was her predictable answer, "It's been years since then and I am really out of practice though. I really don't have much chakra anymore and I am certainly not as fast as I used to be, it's a bit of a drag, but I deal with it."

'_As predictable as ever,'_ Gaara could really make a profitable bet on her because she was so easy for him to predict, or rather he had just begun to get good at it. Gaara turned to leave, "I have to go assign some missions so if you want something to eat then just go downstairs and make something."

'_Blunt as ever, Gaara is such a robot sometimes,'_ rolling her eyes slightly Cassandra jumped out of bed and followed Gaara out the door to the stairs, "I'll make something and just leave it in the fridge to eat later ok Gaara-kun?"

Gaara only shrugged in response as he headed down the stairs with the small girl right behind him.

Cassandra accidentally misjudged a step and stumbled forward down the stairs towards the red headed Kazekage. Gaara had no need to use his sand to stop the collision since his reflexes were good enough on their own, so he was quick to spin around and catch her. What he didn't expect was that since she had been higher up on the stairs she into his arms so when she landed her nose was touching his and their lips were so close it was scary.

They both froze completely, and Cassie felt heat rush to her face finding for once she couldn't say a thing. It was a rare thing to find Iwate Cassandra lost for words, and it was just as rare to find Sabaku No Gaara looking so wide-eyed.

'_What am I waiting for?! Move it girl, and just laugh it off,'_ the raven haired teen scolded herself but her face only grew darker and darker red. She had never blushed so badly in her entire life.

'_Damn I can't move,'_ Gaara's voice hissed in the back of his mind. The majority of his mind – the part that controlled his actions – was to preoccupied with how close Cassandra was to him. Her breath was warming his lips, her arms had somehow wrapped themselves around his neck, he could feel her breasts against his chest, and in catching her he found his hands sitting comfortably in the curve of her lower back. This was another one of those situations Gaara knew nothing about and had no idea what he was supposed to do exactly.

"W-well that was a close one, s-sorry about that I am such a klutz," with her voice stuttering a barely a whisper Cassandra slowly began to pull away.

"Run away puppet head!!" Kankuro's voice bellowed from just up the stairs as one of his wooden puppet heads came bouncing down the stairs. The object his Cassie's back pushing her forward once again and that time more than just nose contact happened between the two of them.

Their lips made contact.

With his eyes widening further Gaara found his hands had almost subconsciously pressed on the small of Cassandra's back to encourage her closer. The butterflies had returned and they were raring to go because it had not been an innocent kiss on the forehead like before, it was a full on lip lock, even if it was accidental. Truth be told he preferred the real kiss and having her closer than she had ever been. Even if it was an accident.

Cassandra could feel his lips smother hers. His lips were warm, soft, and almost welcoming to her touch. It was finally Cassandra's turn to be the one in the dark not knowing what to do because she had never kissed anyone before, Gaara was her first kiss, and it happened because Kankuro dropped one of his puppet's heads. That would be counted as embarrassing or rather funny depending on the point of view.

"Oi sorry about-" Kankuro stopped at the top of the stairs having walked in on a very awkward and badly timed moment, "-that … hey Temari get over here!"

"Kankuro why are you being so loud," Temari also walked in and stopped cold at the top of the stairs.

The slightly awkward moment had soon turned into a show for both Gaara's older siblings, _'I'm not sure whether to ring Kankuro's neck or thank him.'_ It was no use anyway. Not moving would only make it worse, so reluctantly Gaara was the first to pull away leaving Cassandra looking like a tomato. He wished he could see her eyes so he could at least guess what she was thinking but her dark bangs had fallen over them only leaving her inflamed cheeks visible.

'_This won't be easy to explain…'_ thought Cassandra her eyes wide as dinner plates behind her veil of hair.

"Kawaii," Temari whispered under her breath trying to suppress a widening grin, "There is never a camera around when you need one…"

The young Kage didn't want to have to explain things to his siblings, and he was already late for assignments as the Kazekage tower. He would leave it to Cassandra to explain however she liked, she was the talkative one anyway, so with a swirl of sand Gaara disappeared from the staircase altogether.

Feeling like her knees were about to give out Cassie fell back so she was sitting on the stairs, "…"

"Hey Cassie-chan are you ok there," Temari asked poking the stunned girl's shoulder.

Kankuro joined the two girls on the stairs so he could grab his puppet head, "Looks kind of like the lights are on but nobody's home."

"I wonder if she is going to snap out of it any time soon," murmured Temari who started snapping her fingers in front of Cassandra's face in an attempt to get her attention.

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Gaara had to sit outside for a few moments – a quick moment to gather his thoughts – because he found suddenly nothing made sense. He could almost still feel her lips, he could still taste her, and it was no surprise that her lips tasted like strawberries.

'_That girl,'_ the young Kage ran his fingers through his hair, _'Cassie-chan…'_

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**(Ultra Hyper Dance!!!) Yes finally!! Hehe please don't ask what was with the 'Run away puppet head' I just needed something that would role down stairs. It worked didn't it?! You all got your first kiss so review and be happy.**

**Starchip13**

**P.S. – I have gotten a few people asking about ninja fights, lemons, and going to Konoha. Well all that will be coming up soon so no worries there! They're headed for Konoha soon, there are upcoming ninja fights, and a lemon planned a little later. (sorry it may be a bit of a wait still for the lemon!)**


	19. Tin Man has a Heart

**Chapter #19**

**Tin Man Has a Heart**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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'_Is that date correct,' _Cassandra glanced at her calendar blinking in confusion,_ 'Its December 16 already…'_

"Aw man I am sp spacey sometimes, how on earth could I forget," she slumped over slightly and groaned before giving a sigh and perking up again slightly, "Well it's my fault for procrastinating so I better get going!"

It took a little less time than usual for Cassie to get ready, and before she left she took to searching through every closet in search of something she needed. It was quite a while before she found it sitting in a box inside the crawlspace under the stairs and she smiled triumphantly as she placed it on her head, "Now I am ready!"

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"Here is my mission report Kazekage-sama," Hale stated placing a scroll on Gaara's desk and turning to leave. Even after the Kazekage and his sister had become quite close – even if he hadn't been around since the storm a few days before – and Hale had also noticed his sister being especially spacey after coming home from his house the morning after the storm. Hale was growing increasingly more uneasy having Gaara so close to his sister.

"Good work," as usual the Kazekage said very little his eyes only peered through from behind his robes watching Hale very carefully as he pulled out a new scroll, "This is your new assignment."

Hale nodded, "Hai Kazekage-sama."

"Oh Oniichan!!" A singsong voice came from the door as Cassandra poked her head through into the room, "I knew I could find you here, and I can say hi to Gaara-kun too while I'm here."

'_What on earth is she wearing,'_ Gaara blinked a few times after seeing Cassandra's ridicules looking hat. It was a red hat with white cotton trim and a matching white cotton pompom tied to the end.

"Don't even ask," Hale groaned, "Let me guess you forgot about Christmas presents again so you are going to power shop?"

Cassandra sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Hey I got so busy I spaced out again this year, so of course I need to finish before we go see our family, and for that I need you to give me a hand!"

Hale just muttered under his breath as he followed his sister, "I hate Christmas shopping."

"Oh you know Kazekage-sama if there was anything you wanted for Christmas you'd best let me know now because it will be a hell of a lot more convenient," Cassie announced in a teasing sing-song voice as she was turning to leave with Hale.

Now that was something Gaara had never heard before, sure his siblings had gotten him a small present or two in the past, but no one had ever asked him what he wanted. He rarely even noticed the entire season go by year after year so Gaara had never given the whole gift thing a second thought.

After Gaara didn't answer her Cassandra gave an exaggerated pout and tilted her head to the side in a cute manner, "Aren't you going to tell me Gaara-kun?"

'…_that's not fair she is doing that on purpose,'_ Gaara didn't know how she did it but Cassandra had always been able to look as cute as she ever wanted just by tilting her head in a childish way. He knew she was just teasing him but he still could help the fact that his fists began to clench with the returning memory of the accident on the stairs. Neither of them had said a thing about it since then – not that Gaara's siblings hadn't reminded him of it every day – and it was driving the young Kage insane, _'those eyes of hers…'_

'_I wonder if he's upset over … he always did sulk like a child, but … ah come on just stop thinking about it! It was an accident … even if I really didn't mind it … maybe I should be klutzy a little more often,'_ the raven haired girl just shrugged, "I'll just have to surprise you then!"

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"Alright so I have something for Dad, Alex, Kin, and Gin," Cassandra murmured going over her list, "Now for Raidon, Fujita, and Gaara…"

Hale grunted following his sister with their shopping bag in hand, "What do you buy for someone like Gaara anyway? I know you're on my ass about showing him more respect but you have to admit the guy is rather … cold. I'm not sure why you're so attached to him because I have not seen him actually be nice to you yet."

"Then you must be blind or arrogant … or a combination of the two I'm not quite sure…"

"But what on earth are you planning on getting him?"

Cassandra gave a thoughtful grin, "To tell you the truth I don't know right yet, but hey, it will be fun being creative."

"Don't get to creative," warned Hale with a tired chuckle, "So are you planning on giving it to him before we go visit Konoha? You know we aren't going to be around during Christmas so are you giving it to him early?"

Cassie's expression only dropped a fraction, nothing that her brother even noticed, "You know lately I really have been a little to spacey for my own good because I forgot all about that too. You'd think I remember after going to Konohagakure every Christmas but I guess I was hoping to give Gaara his present on Christmas day. Though I don't think he'll mind me giving it to him early … I'll just have to hurry up and figure out what it is going to be first."

Shopping for presents was finished soon enough and as Hale did every year he helped Cassandra pick out everything and carry them home. Though afterwards he did have to finish his missions so he left Cassandra to do all the wrapping and other preparations that she was in charge of every year, and there was no one better suited for the job in the world. When concentrating Cassie could usually finish all the Christmas chores easily in one afternoon.

Hana was at her job as the new waitress at Daichi's restaurant and naturally Daichi was also there. Gina had the shift at the animal shelter that afternoon and afterward she had been planning on going to see a movie with her friends. So for wrapping presents it was only Cassandra and her dogs which were convenient for her concentration.

Gaara – after finishing his Kazekage duties – had gone over to the Iwate home in the middle of Cassandra's festive rush. He watched her from the window like he usually did on the days when he was to proud to let her know he was actually spying on her and as usual he saw her keeping busy, though that day it was a different type of job.

She was sitting in the middle of the floor with a couple rolls of festive looking wrapping paper and the presents she had bought. Her dogs were laying close by her as usual watching her as she wrapped the parcels and listening to the music of a girl singing accompanied by a piano playing on the CD player. Cassandra sang to the lyrics as she worked and even Gaara had to admit she was not half bad either.

(A/N: This is _'All I Want for Christmas is You'_ by Mariah Carey which I DO NOT own. I am merely using it because it is one of my favourite Christmas-y songs and it's cute)

"_I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need_," she sang softly along with the woman's voice. Gaara realized he had never heard her sing outright before, just humming her lyrics once and a while, and even though she started out soft and hard to hear she seemed to gain a little more confidence as the song continued, "_I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own, more than you can ever know, make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you. I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need, and I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fire place. Santa Claus will make me happy with a toy on Christmas day…_"

She would have continued if Kobi hadn't suddenly tuned into Gaara's presence and began his usual snarling and growling. To Gaara's disappointment Cassandra stopping singing and got up from her spot on the floor in search of the place where Gaara was hiding.

'_I hate that dog,'_ Gaara scowled slightly knowing Cassie wouldn't give up until she found him out so he slipped in through the back door.

"Konichiwa Gaara-kun," Cassandra greeted happily as she turned down the music, "Come to tell me what you wanted for Christmas? I need to be able to get everything together before I leave so it would speed things up if you would-"

"Where are you going," blurted Gaara before he could stop himself.

"Oh sorry, I thought you would have known, after all Hale did request some time off…" Cassie apologized, "I am going to Konohagakure to visit family for the Christmas holidays. We are leaving in two days and coming back after New Year so I wanted to be able to give you your present before I leave."

Thinking back Gaara did recall allowing Iwate Hale to go to Konoha on the condition that he would do low ranking for the Hokage missions during the time he was there, but Gaara always let the holidays pass as normal days so it never occurred to him that there was a real purpose for the trip. He had not thought about the possibility that Cassandra would be going with him through that time.

"Earth to Gaara-kun, come in space cadet," it took a while before Gaara realize Cassandra had been trying to get his attention.

"Hm?"

"My Christmas cookies are finished and I need someone to test them do you want any?"

Cassandra sure didn't dwell on one subject for to long and before Gaara could say anything she had grabbed his hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

Her hands were soft, much softer than Gaara's rather course ninja trained hands, and they seemed to have warmth in them that Gaara's hands also didn't have. His large hand wrapped around her small slim satin hand and savored the heat that he could feel.

"T-they're sugar cookies," Cassandra stated grabbing one of them from the tray with her free hand. Her face was turning a soft shade of light red, "Um … Gaara-kun could I have my hand back please…"

Reluctantly Gaara released her hand and almost instantly began to miss the warmth, _'Hm … Cassie never stutters, and she almost never blushes. Have I finally found something that makes even someone like her quiet…?'_

Gaara decided to test out his little pet theory in a way that would satisfy the odd craving he felt whenever she was nearby. He grabbed her hand again, only this time he pulled her toward him while she was still of guard. He pushed her up against the counter so there was no escape for her.

Like before on the stairs Cassandra let her long bangs fall over her eyes, but this time Gaara swept them out of the way. Behind the locks of dark hair were those wide green eyes of hers looking shyly up at him and her rapidly reddening cheeks.

'_So then I was right, this is about the only thing that makes her embarrassed,'_ it was something Gaara didn't mind at all. She was close to him, there was no one around to ruin the moment, and he finally had the upper hand on Cassandra. He had meant to stop it at that but it was way to tempting to have those lips of hers so close to his, _'Damn … well so much for shinobi having self restraint…'_

Her lips were warm just like last time and they still tasted just as sweet as he remembered. Gaara was grinning on the inside as his hand moved to the small of her back to pull her in even closer to him. Every odd feeling he had around her came crashing down on him, but for some reason it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders right then. Now it was a whole new range of emotions he didn't understand … and we all know that was just what Gaara needed.

He was strong but at the same time gentle with her. Cassandra found it almost hard to believe what was happening and through her slight confusion she could feel her heart rate skyrocket through the roof. It was probably one of the least likely things she thought Gaara would do.

Instinctively Cassandra's eyes slid shut and her arms found themselves wrapped around Gaara's neck since her knees had simply turned to jelly. The only things supporting her were her arms and his strong arms around her waist.

Gaara gently nibbled on her lower lip and Cassie opened her mouth gladly allowing his tongue entrance.

The two of them would have continued if it had not been for one little thing. Air. They both parted with their chests heaving slightly to try and make up for lost time. Gaara couldn't believe he had actually done what he had done and Cassandra was so flushed she closely resembled a tomato.

"So there is something that makes you quiet down," without even knowing it a small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Cassie pointed a finger at him and smirked, forgetting her embarrassment for a few moments, "Ha you just smiled!"

"And what would it take for you not to _ever_ mention it around my siblings," Gaara tilted her chin up and looked her right in the eye like before.

"H-hey now w-who's not playing fair," Cassie protested her blush returning with a vengeance.

Gaara swept some hair out of her face, "Well I have to have my revenge some time."

Those bright eyes of hers grew even wider amusing Gaara inside, _'There is a word that describes that look she is giving me that I have heard before. I think Temari used it to describe something but what was it? I think it was … kawaii.'_

The sound of the front door came from the hallway followed by Hale's voice, "Hey Cassie can I taste test some of those cookies I smell?"

'_Damn his amazingly bad timing,'_ with a swirl of sand Gaara disappeared before Cassandra's eyes leaving her standing against the kitchen counter still red in the face.

"Hey, hey Cassie are you listening," it took Cassandra a few minutes to realize that Hale was in front of her and trying to get her attention, "You feel kind of warm there kiddo are you ok?"

"Ya I'm ok I'm just fine," Cassie murmured with a small smile, _'Wadda ya know the tin man has a heart after all…'_

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**Wow, I never expected so many reviews! Three more to the big 100!!! I am currently working on some fanart for this story that will be posted on when it is finished and it will include a nice little pick of Cassie-chan. (drawn and photoshopped by me!!) It may take a little while (Photoshop is a pain in the ass) but I'll give you the link when I do post it!**

**Keep reviewing everyone and I will continue giving you more chapters!**

**Starchip13**


	20. Wake Up Call

**Chapter #20**

**Wake-Up Call**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Yay another chapter out! Love me!!**

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Traveling to Konohagakure takes three or four days at best for a normal traveler so the Iwate family generally packed light to make the traveling easier on everyone. They would get up early on the day they planned to leave with all their belongings already tucked away in their backpacks then be on their way before the sun was fully in the sky. After all no one wanted to travel during high noon in a desert so the shorter the time they had to travel in broad daylight until the wind country boarder the better.

'_This is just too funny,'_ Cassandra tried not to smirk or grin like an idiot as she watched Gina try and stuff half her wardrobe into one backpack. Two days before Gina had been asking Daichi how many bags she was allowed to pack exactly and when he said 'only the ones you plan on carrying yourself for four days' she had made it her goal to fit her entire life into one backpack. Watching her try and close the zipper on the bag was probably the funniest thing Cassandra had ever seen.

"Damn this zipper keeps splitting apart," Gina hissed as she attempted to pinch the zipper together with one hand and zip it up with the other. It didn't work because the amount of things inside kept pushing the cheep zipper apart once it was done up.

Cassandra sat on her bed munching on a breakfast bar with her medium sized backpack comfortably carrying everything she needed for the trip. She was enjoying her early morning entertainment before someone actually stepped in to help Gina.

Gina shot a glance towards Cassie when she spotted her slowly growing grin out of the corner of her eye, "What you think this is funny now? You try and do this without getting angry, I dare you."

"Nah even I'm afraid to attempt that one. You should have made it one of your twisted tests you were conducting a little while back," by that point Cassandra was struggling to control herself, "You know you have to admit defeat eventually Gina-chan because all that is not going to fit. You should have been like me and done all this stuff last night."

"With enough determination anything is possible," Gina stuck her nose in the air, "And you should be the one to talk. The way you are always by the Kazekage's side, it's kind of pathetic. Eventually you have to admit to yourself that someone like him is not going to soften up just because you invite him to dinner."

Cassie was practically in stitches. She couldn't stay in the same room with Gina anymore; she had to get out so she picked up her backpack and went to meet her brother downstairs.

"What's so funny," demanded Gina.

"Oh nothing," Cassandra choked out between giggle fits that hid how red her face was, "You better just hurry up with that or you'll make us all fall behind schedule."

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Cassandra (plus Kobi and Cori), Hale, Gina, Daichi, and Hana were all walking to the edge of the village a few hours before the sun came up each carrying their backpack and some food. Despite the fact that Gina had been especially slow with her last minute packing the family had actually begun their traveling on time so they were quite happy. Well, at least the Iwate were used to it while poor Gina and Hana were already exhausted from the early morning wake up call.

"Kobi don't run to far ahead," Cassie called to her dog who ran a couple yards ahead barking like an idiot. As they rounded the next corner on the street just heading out of the village she saw why, "Temari? Kankuro? Gaara?"

"That dog is going to give me a headache," Kankuro muttered rubbing his head, "Hey mutt will you shut the hell up or what?!" Kobi just continued snarling. It was a habit he had around Gaara that just Cassandra just couldn't get him to break.

The sand siblings had been waiting for the Iwate family. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were standing near the edge of the road with their own backpacks packed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Cassandra asked with a grin.

"Hey you don't think we'd let you go on a long trip without us?" Temari chuckled.

"You guys didn't have to-"

"Ah, don't worry about it Temari's boyfriend lives in Konoha so when she heard that you were going out there she flipped at the idea," Kankuro cut in with a grin, "You couldn't stop her from going now if you wanted to."

Temari gave Kankuro a sharp elbow in the ribs while chuckling, "That doesn't matter. Besides it's safer to travel in larger groups so I hope you and your family don't mind us tagging along."

"Oh we don't mind," Cassandra responded happily while her family shifted around uncomfortably behind her under Gaara's constant gaze. It was pretty obvious that they did in fact mind that they would be traveling with Gaara but Cassie paid it no mind, and it was not like anyone else was about to say anything against him coming. At least not while he was within earshot…

Gaara just seemed to be looming in the background the entire time not saying a word even as the group – with three more people than it had started off with – finally exited the desert village. He walked silently most of the way beside Kankuro who was having a casual conversation with Hale and Daichi.

The girls walked a few feet ahead of them chattering among themselves. Temari apparently telling Cassie something pretty funny because the both of them started laughing.

'_She has a nice laugh,'_ the thought was almost off-handed inside Gaara's mind. He didn't question the thought at all, though he still didn't understand a lot of things, Gaara had more or less just learned to just go along with it. Having her around wasn't so bad anyway.

"So," Daichi glanced over at Gaara carefully, "What is your relationship with my daughter."

"If Cassandra wants you to know then she will tell you," was Gaara's simple answer. While he spoke he only kept his eyes ahead of him and as usual his expression never changed.

Kankuro chuckled, "Roughly translated from Gaara's speech that just means he would rather have someone else admit it."

Gaara's eyes darted over to Kankuro for a split second sending one clear message, 'Shut up or else.'

"You are turning red you know," Temari teased.

Cassie forced a laugh to try and cover for a few seconds to think of an excuse, "What are you talking about? Its just this heat is making me flushed! You have to be hallucinating or something Temari-chan."

"Well then answer the question then," the blonde Kunoichi urged.

"What question? You asked me a question?"

Temari gave Cassandra a playful shove, "Yes answer the question already! Is there something romantic going on between you and my brother?"

"Why don't you ask him if you want to know so bad?"

"Do you really think he would ever tell me anything?" Temari gave a her a playful shove, "You're avoiding answering the question Cassie-chan now come on it is not that hard. Just a yes or no will do or I can just go with the answer that is written all over your face if you like."

Cassandra really hated how easily she blushed and knew if she didn't answer Temari would never ever shut up about it. She glanced behind her at her at the boys to make sure no one was listening in and she knew Gina and Hana were so into their topic of conversation they wouldn't notice if she talked through a megaphone, "So what if there is? You're not going to go running down the street screaming it at the top of your lungs are you?"

"No, don't worry, I won't," assured Temari who was trying to control a large goofy grin that wanted to surface, "But Kankuro owes me twenty bucks."

"Temari you're terrible."

"As you have said before but yet I still find myself proud of the fact."

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"We should set up camp here for the night and resume before the sun comes up tomorrow and we should be out of the desert by tomorrow at noon," Hale sighed finding a nice spot to pitch the tents just off the path, "We'll have to look around for fire wood and then Cassandra can make us something to eat."

"You make it sound like an obligation Hale," Cassandra chuckled as she found a rock to sit on and rest her sore feet. They had all been walking all day with the exception of the break they took to break out their lunches. Everyone was tired and more than ready for a good night's rest – except Gaara who never slept in the first place – so they began setting up camp so they could sleep all the sooner.

Two separate tents were set up in the small camp, one for the boys and one for the girls, while Hana and Gina made the fire pit and looked for scraps of wood. It was the only thing to two girlie-girls could do after their many failed attempts at helping set up the tents. The dogs made their jobs difficult by stealing the sticks so they could play a game of fetch.

"Can you grab the sleeping bags Cassie-chan," asked Temari as she finished with the poles for the tent.

"Sure," Cassandra responded absently as she tossed the four sleeping bags into the tent then returned to examining the food they had packed to see what she would make for their supper.

That night after setting up the camp and the fire Cassandra made some rice and curry (Hale's request) and everyone sat around the fire together to eat. Hale and Kankuro seemed to be getting along better considering their bad first impressions of each other when Hale came looking for Cassandra. Hana and Daichi were eating together as a couple. Temari, Cassandra, and Gina – reluctantly - were eating together, and Gaara decided he would be the one to stand guard all on his own.

Soon after eating everyone began to retire to their tents so they could get some sleep before another long day of traveling. Hana and Temari seemed to be the first ones to nod off and then – unfortunately for Cassandra – Gina the snore champion of the world.

'_You have got to be kidding me,'_ Cassie gave an inward moan and buried her face into her pillow, _'How can everyone else sleep through this?'_

For Cassie there was no use even trying to get some sleep with the human fog horn sleeping a few short feet away. With a grunt the tired girl got to her feet with her blankets wrapped around her shoulders and unzipped the tent door.

The desert got cold at night – thus why Cassandra had her blanket with her – and it made her shiver a little. The fire had almost burned out completely leaving nothing but dying ambers, but even in the poor lighting her large green eyes could spot Gaara still sitting on a nearby sand dune. He had been there for hours not moving a muscle.

Cassandra tiptoed through the sand and began climbing up the dune when a patch of sand slipped under her foot. She almost began sliding all the way back down when it began moving on its own to push her back up.

"Didn't you say before that you were at the ninja academy for a year," Gaara seemed slightly amused, "I don't think rookies are as klutzy as you are."

"Well I did say that it was years ago so don't give me a hard time about it sandman," chuckled Cassie as she sat herself down next to Gaara and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, "What are you doing sitting out here all by yourself?"

"I told you that I don't sleep so going into the tent is pointless," he shrugged, "You on the other hand should be sleeping right now."

"Do you not hear that snoring? Do you seriously think I'd be able to get any sleep down there?"

She had a point; Gina's snoring could be heard loud and clear from where he was sitting.

"Wow look at the moon it's almost full," Cassandra's voice made Gaara realize he had been spacing out a little bit, "It's really clear out here isn't it?"

Gaara nodded, _'Perfect that bastard raccoon will be the one thrilled when it finally is full.'_

They sat like that for quite some time, most of the time not saying anything, but it was nice either way. After a few minutes Gaara nonchalantly placed his arm around Cassie's shoulders and pulled her in closer to him.

With a tired smile Cassie cocked an eyebrow and Gaara responded with an uninterested shrug, "You were shivering."

"I was not," she retorted before giving a yawn.

"Just go to sleep," he murmured stubbornly, "Or you are going to be tired tomorrow."

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**(Corny traveling music) Yah, we're on our merry way to Konoha!! Thanks for the continuing reviews everyone it's been really great!**

**Starchip13**


	21. Traveling Speed Bumps

**Chapter #21**

**Traveling Speed Bumps**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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The next day and night went by almost completely uneventful. The group was up early the next day so they reached the outskirts of the desert by noon and they had traveled well within the boarders of the Fire Country so instead of sleeping on sand the next night they found a nice clearing in the woods. The morning after was business as usual and with the routine set in for their traveling they were all a little more set to go when the sun started to rise.

They were about half a day when they settled down for their third night of camping and had found themselves close to some very comfortable looking hot springs. After setting up the tents it was Temari's turn to go searching for fire wood so Cassandra decided to kill time until supper by going out to the hot springs.

"Oh hold up a second Cassie-chan I need a bath _so_ badly," Gina whined.

'_No what you _need_ is duct tape over your mouth while you sleep,'_ Cassandra shook her head as the two walked to the hot springs with their bathing things. Cassandra was far from pleased that Gina was coming with her but she needed something to relax her and wash up.

"So what is up with you and the sand boy anyway?" Cassie always hated the way Gina asked questions, Gina asked like it was her right to know, so it sounded more like a demand than a question.

The two of them reached a nice hot spring and began taking off their cloths so they could slip in, "That's my personal business."

"You know its that kind of answer that makes me suspect the worst," the two of them slipped into the water and found places to sit where they could laze comfortably in the steam.

"Why do you care?"

"I just wanted to know exactly how much I will have to put up with that demon."

"If you keep calling him that I guarantee it won't be to long."

"Oh give me a break Cassie how much do the two of you really have in common anyway," Gina went on being her usual nosy self, "I used to think of you as more of a rival when it came to Daiki-kun – almost like the pathetic little girl type you see shying around high school – and I had a lot more respect for your taste in guys then too. Then you invited _him_ over for supper and its like every time I turn around he's following you like a shadow."

"You know you're so full of it you are going to pop Gina I swear-" Cassandra was picking up her face cloth to chuck it in Gina's face when he froze for a second.

Gina looked at Cassie skeptically, "Uh … isn't this the part where you start with the sarcasm and the smart-ass comments?"

"Shush," she hissed actually finishing her throw with the cloth. Her voice stayed low and whispery, "Pretend to keep washing up."

"Who was pretending? We've been on the move for so long I just love this hot spring," Gina whispered back.

"Just come with me and get out of here there is someone watching us from the bushes," Cassie was getting annoyed that Gina couldn't even take a hint, "I heard them move a few seconds ago baka."

A small look of realization dawned on Gina's face as she sunk down deeper into the water to hide herself from peeping toms.

The two of them quickly grabbed their towels from their packs and crept off into the bushes for a little privacy while they slipped on their pajamas. Gina was muttered curses under her breath about perverts and whole time and Cassandra rolled her eyes in anger.

"Who the hell would be spying on us?" Gina hissed angrily.

_Thud._ A shuriken whizzed right by both girls and landed in the wood of the tree right in front of them.

"New rule," Cassandra muttered, "You are not allowed to ask stupid questions."

"Would it be stupid if I asked if I can freak out now?"

"Only if it's a rhetorical question."

Cassandra, being the better runner, took the lead as they sprinted through the trees trying to find their way back to the campsite. They had to pray that they were going in the right direction.

"Hey Gina hurry it up turtle legs," Cassandra called as Gina began to lag behind, but before she could find Gina again someone tackled her from behind, "OOMPH!"

"Thought you could give us the slip eh," a tall lean man with dark brown hair growled as he wrapped his massive arms around Cassie and picked her right up off the ground, "Wow I can't believe we were the ones stuck catching a couple of girls. I mean look at this one she is positively puny!"

The shorter burlier man with chestnut coloured hair holding Gina laughed, "Don't be so picky Kisho! You have to admit they have pretty faces."

"Right as usual Seiichi," the dark haired man began laughing along with his companion.

"You have three seconds to put me down," Cassandra seethed. After having to deal with Gina for so long she was in no mood to deal with common roadside muggers.

"Oh look the little princes is in a bad mood," Kisho began laughing harder, "What are you going to do bite my hand?"

"No I'm not, but just to inform you, you're three seconds are up," Cassie replied calmly before using all her weight to swing the lower half of her body forward and then swing back full force on his crotch.

The tall man groaned as he released his grip and began to stumble forward. Unfortunately his face was met with Cassandra's fist as he fell. Kisho was sent flying backwards, his nose broken and bleeding, until he hit the nearest tree and slumped to the ground. He was clearly unconscious.

"Now," Cassandra cracked her knuckles and turned to the man still holding onto Gina, "Are you next?"

"What the –" Seiichi's eyes widened in surprise, but at the same he was not completely unprepared. He pulled a kunai from his back pocket and held it to Gina's neck, "Now I don't know what the hell that was about, but you're going to come along peacefully or you're friend here gets it."

'…_Wow this guy needs to read a dictionary and look up the word hostage because that is weak … but then again Dad might get angry if I just leave her. Damn parents and their annoying rules!'_ Cassandra – with her non-existent expression – calmly walked over to Kisho and pulled a kunai from his back pocket, "You know this is why I find road bandits particularly annoying, you're a bunch of first class morons! Do you really think I'm just going to let you leave with Gina now are you? My aim is perfect, and during my training I never once missed my target."

"Uh, Cassie-chan what are you doing?" Gina hissed in a frightened whisper.

"You better listen to your friend here little princess," Seiichi pressed the tip of his kunai harder against Gina's neck, "You're little fibs won't work on me."

_Thud._ The kunai flew so quick Seiichi had barely even seen it and it pinned his sleeve to the tree behind him, "Hey you wench! What is this?!"

"It's a kunai baka," Cassie rolled her eyes, "And I wasn't fibbing. You really are a complete idiot if you haven't figured out that I'm a Kunoichi."

Seiichi looked completely stunned and completely forgot about holding onto Gina who had taken her chance to run behind Cassie. Cassie took the opportunity to grab a few more kunai from Kisho and completely pinned Seiichi.

"No one said…" Seiichi trailed off.

"So then there are more of you then?" Asked Cassie.

"I never said-"

"But you were about to," she cut in, "Now how many of you guys _are_ there? Where are they and what are their strength levels?"

Seiichi scowled and huffed, "Like I am going to tell you wench!"

"Gina I want you to go through that other guy's pockets and take any weapons," ordered Cassandra.

Gina shot Cassandra are-you-out-of-your-freaking-mind look, "Did you seriously hit your head earlier or what?"

"Gina, it wasn't a sudjestion," she snapped back before turning to Seiichi again, "Now you can either tell us where your friends are and how many or I can just go track them all down myself. It would be a lot easier if I knew so I could avoid them altogether so I could get back to my friends don't you think?"

If looks could kill then Cassandra would have been a bloody mess at that moment, but the thing was she didn't seem at all bothered by Seiichi's dirty looks. In fact she seemed as calm and level headed as ever. It was like nothing below the level of serene could ever show on her face.

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Gaara was beginning to get uneasy. Cassie and Gina had been gone for quite a long time, much longer than it should have taken for a bath, and it was seriously beginning to bother him.

Temari looked up seeing Gaara pacing and gave a small sigh, "You know what I wanted to go have a bath too. I'll go check and see if she is alright so stop worrying ok?"

"I'm not worrying," he growled back.

"Not worrying my ass," Kankuro chuckled under his breath. Gaara's glare quickly silenced him.

It was maybe ten or fifteen minutes Temari came back with a less than promising look on her face. She held out a shuriken with a sigh, "Gaara is it safe to presume Cassie-chan didn't pack weapons?"

Yet another new feeling – would it ever stop – but it felt something like his stomach literally sinking in his gut. He stopped breathing for a few moments and sand began circling around his feet to reflect his mood, "Where did you find that Temari?"

"In a tree right by the hot spring," she responded, "Whatever happened couldn't have happened to long ago and there was no blood at the scene. The shuriken was probably just a scare tactic. It shouldn't take too much to catch up."

Gaara gave a shallow nod, "Temari you are going to come with me to search. Kankuro you stay behind and get her family someplace safe. These types of forest highwaymen always travel in groups so there will probably be more creeping around nearby."

Kankuro groaned, "Aw come on Gaara you know someone like Hale can handle a few simple highwaymen on his own. I'll go with you and Temari to search."

"Hale will be likely to do something simple minded like go after his sister himself and he'll get in our way," Gaara snapped back, "You need to go help them and make sure they stay away you got that?"

Having Gaara snap at you is definitely not fun for anyone so Kankuro didn't argue. Gaara was angry, that much was obvious, and any highwaymen who might have even dared touch Cassandra were definitely going to meet their end painfully. Even Temari was beginning to wish she was the one told to stay behind.

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**(Sigh) I wanted to have the really Christmas-y chapters up before Christmas but I hope you guys don't mind if it's a few days late … I only have a few more chapters … and there's ninja fighting in them!!!**

**Starchip13**


	22. No Escape: Part 1

**Chapter #22**

**No Escape: Part 1**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Yay another chapter! Still no Christmas stuff in this chapter, there won't be in the next chapter either, but to make up for it I will be giving you a big ninja fight to make you feel better! (Runs around cheering)**

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"Keep up Gina," Cassandra ordered, "Haven't you ever gotten more exercise than shopping in your life?"

"What I don't get is how you can be so fast and be able to take down two grown men," Gina yelled between gasping breaths. She was running out of steam fast so she stopped to sit on a rock and catch her breath, "You're smaller than I am for Kami's sake! How can you have taken down those two so … _easily_!?"

Cassandra sat down next to Gina – even though she was far from out of breath – and gave a frustrated growl, "How many times do I have to tell you that I wasn't kidding about being a Kunoichi before it sticks?"

"But how can you be?" Gina grabbed Cassandra's collar but Cassandra just glared daggers back at her, "You came to Sunagakure six years ago so you would only have been ten years old. A trainee ninja becomes a Genin at age twelve so there is two years difference there. To become a Kunoichi you would have had to have graduated to a Genin at age ten!"

"You act like no one has ever done that before." Cassandra rolled her eyes and removed Gina's hand from her shirt, "Yes, I attended the Konohagakure ninja at the age of seven and I graduated three years later to the rank of Genin. Get over it and try and help me think of a way to get back to camp!"

The stubborn and tired blonde just crossed her arms, "Well if you're such a great Kunoichi then a few highway robbers should be easy for you to handle."

"Ignorance must be bliss," Cassandra hissed under her breath as shook her head in disbelief. She tucked a strand of stray raven hair behind her ear before being able to speak again in a calmer manner, "I said I _was_ a Genin you baka. If you knew anything about ninja at all you would know that it the lowest rank of certified ninja so no matter how early I graduated before resigning I am a little more than a novice. Another thing is that I have very little supplies, just a few measly kunai, which does little to nothing in a real battle even if it's just fighting thugs hand-in-hand."

It took a few moments of Cassandra's stare before Gina gave a huff, "Hey just give me a second here I know there is something else you're not telling me and I will figure it out!"

"Actually there was something else. I just haven't told you because I don't want you freaking out on me," Cassie's eyebrow twitched, "I have to have you tagging along in the first place and I definitely don't need this to get even more complicated by having a big crybaby on my hands."

"Oh ya, well try me!"

"There will be more of those thugs, a lot more, and since those two were sent after us thinking we were just a couple of defenseless women they would probably be the weakest. Men like them travel in large groups with one leader who is either strong physically or knows how to get things done efficiently," she explained, "I am a former Genin so if they do clue in and send more experienced men in greater numbers I might have a tough time keeping up a fight while having to defend you."

Gina looked slightly offended, "So you're saying we're in danger because I am here?"

"Being a bodyguard is a harder job than it sounds and the rule of thumb is always that – naturally – the person you're guarding comes first. If we want to get back to camp I have to keep us both going and keeping track of two bodies is … challenging. Don't be holding it against yourself."

"So…" seeming to have calmed down slightly after being so freaked out about the attack she started asking slightly more logical questions, "What kind of leader do you think they have anyway?"

Cassie ran her hand through her hair for a minute before pulling a few sheets of paper from her pocket, "I found these while I was searching those guys for weapons. It seems that the whole highway man thing was only a small part of the big picture."

"B-but hey what—" Gina shook her head for a moment, "Why?"

"Something tells me we're just the first step to getting what they really want."

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"Gaara over this way," Temari called and almost in an instant her younger brother was by her side in a gust of sand.

There were two men in the tiny clearing. One lanky tall one tied up on the ground sporting a rather flashy looking shiner, and the other a shorter and slightly huskier man who was unconscious and pinned to a tree with kunai. He too had quite a few nasty little bruises which included a steadily growing goose egg on his hairline.

Temari didn't have to wait for orders to know that Gaara wanted one of them woken up and talked ASAP so she went strait to work. Using her water bottle, filled with hot tea from the camp, she splashed the face of the man that was pinned to the tree causing him to cough and sputter, not to mention yell out in pain from the scalding water.

"Oi!" The man yelped and began struggling against the kunai, "What the hell do you want now you've already got all our weapons you stupid bi – KAMI! It's him!"

"Good you already know who I am so that will save us some time," Gaara's sand immediately wrapped around the man's torso and pulled him from the tree while still keeping a little more than form hold on him, "You attacked two girls. What happened to them?"

"Hey man I don't know!"

Gaara scowled, "I won't hesitate to kill you since I still have your friend here to interrogate."

The husky man shook his head frantically, "Hey now don't get so hasty! I told you I don't know where the girls went and I mean it! That crazy black haired chick knocked out my friend then pinned me to the tree! She picked our pockets for weapons before knocking me out and leaving me here so I have no idea which way she is headed!"

"Wow Cassie-chan seems to know what she's doing," Temari sounded impressed, "At least she was able to take care of these weaklings without us and come out ok."

"Where is the rest of your team?" Asked Gaara.

"T-they're monitoring the area," the man grunted trying to struggle against the constricting sand, "They were supposed to wait for our signal after we caught the girls but they won't wait for long. They'll go after the girls themselves soon."

Gaara's rising anger made the sand constrict automatically.

The man cried out in pain before giving a soft, almost defeated sounding, chuckle, "Go ahead, kill me, but it won't help you any. Now that I think about it I am a little more afraid of _them_ than being crushed to death. That little girlfriend of yours was just going to be bait so we were going to ditch her somewhere near a village when we were finished, but if she is going to give them trouble you'll be going home with a dead body!"

'_That was definitely the wrong thing to admit,'_ Temari's hands were shaking slightly. Gaara really scared her when he got so worked up and that bloodthirsty look started to appear.

_SNAP._

The man screamed out loudly in pain, "Ah! You bastard you broke my leg!"

"If you think I am going to give you the luxury of a quick and painless death then you're mistaken," Gaara hissed. The blood coming from the man's shattered leg only served to boil his demon blood further, "I can break every bone in your body before killing you."

"T-that won't help you any. Masakazu isn't very patient, and no matter what orders he is given by our boss he will soon be out looking for that girl that seems to be so important to you. He won't hold back and he is a lot stronger that my friend and I are so if you waist time on me then she's as good as dead," he shot back.

'_This guy _wants_ to be killed doesn't he?'_ Temari took a safe step back so she wouldn't be splattered with blood, _'Is this leader of his so terrifying that he would rather face Gaara and die by the sand than be punished by his leader?'_

The guy was minced meat before Temari could blink and Gaara's hand was violently shaking with anger.

"Gaara." Temari almost hated to attract his attention when he was like that but what else was there for her to do? Cassandra was her friend so she wanted to be able to rescue her, "Cassie has got Gina with her so she couldn't have gone to far. We can catch up to them quickly."

'_And so can whoever this Masakazu may be,'_ Gaara's jaw clenched, _'All this happening on the full moon … this isn't good for anyone involved, especially Cassie.'_

"If they wanted Cassie for bait does that mean they were after you and not her? I mean who else would they want that they would go through this much trouble?" Temari had spoken before she even thought about what she said. She slapped her hand over her mouth and cursed in her mind thinking that was probably the wrong thing to say while he was still angry. It only served to make his sand lash out and take down a few random trees to try and vent.

'_They won't have a chance to even touch her before I demolish every one of them,'_ without a word Gaara took off in search of Cassie again.

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Gina shook her head in disbelief at the picture she was looking at. It was a perfect close up of the day when Cassandra had been playing 'twenty questions' with Gaara, "So this wasn't just a random mugging then?"

"Apparently not," Cassandra bit her lip for a moment before getting to her feet again, "We should get moving before they can find us again. We should probably set some traps too. If we can get more of them then that means more weapons for us and a better chance of making it back to camp in one piece."

"What kind of traps?" Weak kneed Gina got to her feet and followed Cassandra through the woods again like a frightened little child, "ACHOO!"

"Shush!" Cassandra hissed.

Gina wiped her reddened nose, "I can't help it! It's freaking cold out here and we're running around in pajamas and bare feet. We might be hypothermic before those people even catch up to us."

"We'll just have to steal ourselves some jackets then too," Cassandra grinned. She began – almost randomly – pulling back the branches of flexible trees just to see how far and how fast that sprung back, "But first we'll need to turn this place into a virtual deathtrap."

"But what about people who might come and rescue us?" Gina was the type to always contradict opinions other than her own, "And I thought you said we had little supplies so why use them on traps that may or may not even work?"

"The people that will be coming after us will be Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. They are all Jounin so if they got caught in one of my traps it would be rather embarrassing for them. As for the traps of them they are easy enough to create with few actual tools and they work pretty well. I did catch a Chunin once during training in one of my traps, you see, had I gone on in my training I probably would have become a hunter-nin so don't underestimate me here," she ordered, "If we do come across anyone above a Chunin skills level well then … I hope you learn how to run real fast real quick because there is no way I am waiting for you."

"…Understood."

Using the few Kunai that were available Cassandra immediately began making simple traps. By tying kunai to the end of a branch and pulling it back so it was attached to a hidden tripwire she made a lethal trap ready to spring. She made that trap among others that would gather and trap anyone that decided to take a swipe.

"Go hide Gina and don't come out until I tell you," Cassie ordered.

Gina ran off muttering something about stupid ninja and never leaving Suna again.

Cassie shook her head and sat in her own hiding spot and waited for more highwaymen to arrive. She didn't have to wait long before a man carrying a sword came wondering near one of her death trap zones. He set off the springing kunai branch and took the blade right in the soldier. The man turned out to be so klutzy that he fell back in surprise and knocked himself out against a tree.

"Something tells me that was two easy," she muttered to herself as she tied the man up with his own wire and stole the short sword attached to his back. She knew it was too easy, but hey, more weapons. And Cassie was always excellent with a sword.

"No this was too easy!" Someone came up from behind and grabbed a good handful of Cassandra's hair, "And the word gullible isn't in the dictionary!"

'_Shit this freak saw through my traps so easily!'_ Cassandra could have kicked herself for being tricked out into the open so easily if she wasn't forced to her feet and shoved harshly against a tree, "Let me go!"

The man laughed, "Not after all the trouble you have given us so far. You already took out three of our men little girl. Though why we need you in the first place in beyond me, so I don't think those brats would care if there was a little accident before I brought you back."

Cassandra was spun around and her arms pinned above her head by one massive hand so she got her first good look at her attacker. The guy was big, at least 6-foot-four and with muscles that made it look as though someone stuffed his arms with watermelon. His dark brown hair was combed neatly away from his face and narrow amber coloured eyes. He was holding Cassandra with his left hand alone easily and she was more that grateful he wasn't using his other hand. On his right had was some kind of mechanical claw that actually seemed to be attached to his skin from the elbow down. The claws on the hand were a good few inches long and razor sharp.

He gave a wolfish grin when he saw her stare up at him, "Well, well, you're a lot cuter that the picture, but when you're a target beauty doesn't matter much. But it is nice to finally get to speak to you in person Miss Cassandra my name is Masakazu."

Cassie's lips drew to a thin line and she glared up at him with a look that could kill and it only served to make him chuckle. He picked up his right arm and ran it through her hair and along her jaw line, "Now as for the punishment for wounding three of my friends, well, I say you're more trouble than your worth. You're boyfriend wouldn't know you're dead until after we got the chance to fight anyway now would he?"

The comment made Cassandra pull back but there was nowhere to go.

"But wait, you wounded three of my men," Masakazu pointed out almost cheerfully, "That means I need three punishments now don't I. Dead will have to wait until last, but before that I might want to have a little fun. Wouldn't you believe that this hand of mine is a turn off?"

'_Son of a--' _Cassandra wanted desperately to get away from the guy but she needed something to hit him with. That was when she remembered the sword she stuck in her belt, _'I think I can get to it if I find a way to get him to loosen his grip just a little…'_

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**The next chapter is coming up before Christmas and will be extra long (I've been working on it for a while) as a Christmas gift to everyone who reviewed for me! I want you all to have a very merry Christmas.**

**Starchip13**


	23. No Escape: Part 2

**Chapter #23**

**No Escape: Part 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Here is a nice long chapter to wrap up this little misadventure, and the chapter that took me for freaking _ever_ to write (I kid you not). While writing this I realized this is my first attempt at a Naruto fight scene (I am a terrible procrastinator) so in the spirit of the holidays please don't come after me if it kinda sucks!**

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'_I can do it, I can get my sword somehow if I just…'_ Cassandra struggled against Masakazu trying to get her hands back but his grip was like iron. She shifted her hips backward and planted her feet against the tree, _'I just have to be flexible enough to reach it…'_

"Go to hell bastard," she hissed.

Kicking off the tree hard she swung her lower body at his torso then side kicked as his chin. He didn't move much but he had obviously not expected such a bold move from a prisoner so she was distracted enough not notice her swing made her sword fall out of its hilt. She was barefoot anyway so she grabbed it with her feet and slashed at his legs with it.

He yelped and jumped back out of range before she could get a second swipe but thankfully let go of her wrists.

"Little bitch!" Masakazu didn't seem all that upset which made Cassie a little uneasy, "I don't think anyone has dared even try something like that for years. You're a feisty little shrimp aren't you?"

Cassie took hold of her sword and went into a fighting stance, "Stupid perverted bastard…"

"Well if it's a fight you want little girl it's a fight you get but I won't hold back," was Masakazu's response.

'_Bring it, all I need to do is hold out until someone finds us, I can handle that.'_ She was dead set and waited for him to make the first move which was a chance he took more than gladly.

Masakazu was not only big a bulky with muscle and a deadly arm he was also so fast he was a complete blur. Cassie barely had enough time to block his strike much less fight back but she was able to use his own momentum against him to send him stumbling forward.

'_He's a real close range fighter with that arm of his and even if he misses he has enough stamina to keep going for much longer than I ever could,'_ Cassandra's mind quickly went to work finding a way to stall for as much time as possible, _'This would be simpler if I had some Shuriken but all I have on me is the sword. Damn it handicaps are annoying…'_

All she could really do was keep dodging and hope that either an idea came to her or someone came to help.

That arm of his was finally able to clamp painfully onto Cassandra's leg. The claws dug right into her flesh as he picked her up and sent her flying until she hit a nearby tree.

Cassandra gasped for a moment. She couldn't move at all, her leg felt like it had been torn up, and her left arm was likely dislocated because she couldn't move it at all. She had dropped her sword when she was thrown, and along with her body being in shock and unwilling to move meant she was defenseless.

"Its amazing how much trouble I have to go to just to get you to sit down and accept the fact that you're outmatched," Masakazu shook his head disapprovingly and walked almost casually over to where Cassandra was lying. He was about to pick her up when something came crashing through the trees and snapped at his flash and bone arm.

"Kobi," Cassandra blinked to try and bring things into better focus. Another one of the furry animals came and started nuzzling her to encourage her to get up, "Cori?"

Kobi's large jaw gripped Masakazu's arm as hard as possible and quickly began drawing blood. Masakazu swung the dog around trying to shake him off but it only made the tearing of the flesh of his arm worse.

'_Maybe it's a good thing Kobi never listens when people tell him to stay,'_ Cassandra almost didn't believe how loyal both her dogs were. Cori had never once left her side either, Cori was the one to always comfort her, and she shared her brother's love of their owner. _'And it's a good thing Cori is always there to help.'_

Cori allowed Cassie to put some of her weight on her back so she could struggle to a sitting position. Cassie stroked Cori's head thankfully and noticed her dog's uneasiness about letting her brother be the only one to fight, "I'm alright Cori."

The dog seemed to understand her command and immediately got to her feet as Masakazu threatened to use his metal claw against Kobi. It came down to a battle of who was the most stubborn as Cori anchored her teeth into the flesh just above Masakazu's mechanical arm.

"You think a couple wimpy dogs can stop me?" Masakazu grunted and lunged forward despite the injuries the dogs were causing and thrust his claw at Cassandra who was completely helpless to stop anything.

And then it all just stopped. Everything in front of Cassie literally froze like someone hit the pause button on a movie. It took her a few moments before she realized Masakazu's freezing in mid lung and the dogs stopping struggling could only be caused by a paralysis jutsu. But who cast it?

"You were under strict orders Masakazu to bring her to us alive and unharmed," a monotonic voice stated as a figure walked into view, "I won't have you disobeying orders because of an attitude problem."

What surprised Cassie was the fact that the person who saved her life – though not for the reason that would have made her happy – was a little girl. A puny little girl with messy black hair and black eyes that could not have been more than ten years old. She was wearing a plain black long sleeved ninja outfit, some sort of corked vase strapped to her back, and a sword that almost seemed to long for her was tied to her belt. Her expression was rather cold, almost angry, with eyes like coal that gave Cassie the shivers.

When those eyes darted to Cassandra and glared at her right in the eye Cassandra froze like she too had been placed under a paralysis jutsu – though she knew it probably wasn't that – and she was completely creeped out by it.

The girl walked over to Cassandra rather calmly and tilted her chin up with only the tip of her finger, "Even I have to admit I didn't expect one girl to cause so much trouble. Its no wonder the Shukaku boy is fond of you. You're a very passionate fighter, lots of spirit."

The small girl placed one finger on Cassandra's forehead and in an instant her pupils widened so far that there was nearly no green left. Her mouth hung open for a moment as she tried desperately to continue to breathe normally, _'W-what … what the hell is this girl?'_

"I think you understand our situation now Iwate-san so there will be no more resisting," the girl murmured with a small smirk as she grew six years right before Cassandra's eyes. Her short black hair lengthened to barely shoulder length and her face changed. Within seconds Cassandra was looking at a much colder version of her own face. "My name is Yang."

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Gaara didn't understand how there could not even be one trace of them. They had been searching for a little over an hour and with each passing second the feeling in his gut began to get worse. Something was very wrong. Had she been captured … or worse? He would have thought there would be _something_ that would lead him to Cassie's location.

"Hey! Hello is anyone out there!"

Temari snapped to attention, "That's Gina's voice."

The two darted in the direction of the call and before they knew it they found Gina stumbling her way through the forest looking worn out and scared out of her wits.

"Oh Kami I never thought I would be saying I was glad to see you guys but I have just been chased back and forth across this forest and you know what they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth," Gina panted. She would have collapsed if Temari hadn't caught her and she was trembling violently.

"Where is Cassie?" Gaara half demanded making Gina panic even more.

"I-I don't know," Gina whispered.

Gaara stepped forward and Gina fell backwards in response, "What happened!"

If Gina had been a little spooked by the just cold and unsociable Sabaku no Gaara before she was absolutely terrified of angry Gaara right at that moment, and it made it hard as hell for her to choke out her story, "We were trying to hold out until you guys found us but some freak with a mechanical arm found her out! She fought him and he was about to finish her when some freaky little kid came out and ordered him to stop!"

"Which way did they head?" Gaara wasn't in a mood to drag out the explanations.

"I told you I don't know," Gina almost spat, "I was scared and I ran ok?! Call me a coward if you want but Cassie _ordered_ me to stay out of sight and I wouldn't have been able to do shit all!"

Gaara's knuckles were turning white as he turned to leave.

Just before he did Gina got up the nerve to pipe up, "That kid I told you about isn't normal. All she did was touch Cassie and it did something to her that really messed her up! I don't I've ever seen her look so afraid!"

Gaara stopped for only a second to give Temari an order, "Take her back to Kankuro and get everyone to Konohagakure."

"Right," Temari gave quick nod and slung Gina's arm over her shoulder so they could head back. She didn't think she could be around Gaara when he was so close to loosing it anyway.

So Gaara took off on his own running faster than he thought possible through the forest in search of a sign, or even a slight trace that someone else had been there. But he found nothing.

What will you do if you can't find her, hm? The Shukaku's voice taunted and made Gaara's teeth grit together. For all we know they could have already killed her. They'll likely use her as a hostage to get to you, but you know hostage situations … they don't always guarantee you'll get her back safe and sound…

Gaara staggered slightly and had to struggle to control himself. A small animalistic growl escaped his lips but there was no way he would let Shukaku win the battle of wills, _'Shut up bastard raccoon!'_

No, Was the demon's cocky response, I preferred the old Gaara better, the one that would only fight for himself, the one that wouldn't do something stupid like risk his own life for a girl! Do you want to die baka? Do you think that girl would still be by your side if she _saw_ with her own eyes what you were? She isn't different Gaara she's just clueless! She'll run the moment she sees you, the real you, and you'll find those feelings of _love_ were false.

He shook his head stubbornly to try and push the demon's voice out of his mind. There was no way that could be true. Cassandra _was_ different, "I SAID SHUT UP BASTARD RACCOON!"

"Talking to yourself is not a good idea if you want to convince people that you are sane," a flat stoic voice responded to him coolly from the shadows just out of sight. A little girl with shoulder length ghost white hair stepped out from the shadows. Her black eyes flashed dangerously despite her emotionally void face and a round mirror was clutched firmly in her pale hands, "Greetings Kazekage-sama."

Gaara striated his posture and stared at the little girl for a moment, "Are you the kid Gina was talking about?"

"My sister is not the one with which you should be concerned at this time Kazekage-sama," the girl responded, "My name is Yin."

"Where is Cassie?" Gaara demanded.

"You mean the girl? She put up quite a fight but we were finally able to … quiet her down. My sister and I hired a group of simple highwaymen to take care of the details but I don't guarantee they're going to follow orders," the girl took a small step forward, "If I get what I want you will get what you want. It's as simple as that."

This kid is a freak, don't agree to anything.

"What do you want?" Gaara continued to struggle to control himself.

"I want to see your friend," she took another small step forward and the light of the full moon glinted off her silver mirror, "I want to see the real you."

There was no other answer from Gaara than the wave of sand that flowed from his gourd to crush the girl to minced meat, but she disappeared in a puff of smoke when she was crushed. The person he had been talking to was nothing but a shadow clone.

"Such a temper, but my request is simple and I practically handed the situation to you. You change when your emotions aren't under proper control, so the girl had to be used as sort of a tool," Yin stepped out once again from behind him.

Gaara commanded his sand to wrap around the girl and he held his sand out to crush her, "_Sabaku SouSou!_"

She disappeared in a puff of smoke once again. Damn, how many clones could one ten-year-old make at once?

Another Yin – most likely another clone – stepped out from the shadows and this time a couple dozen kunai knives shot out from her mirrors. Gaara's sand easily stopped them but something seemed to happen to the sand that the kunai hit. Whatever sand the kunai touched hardened all on its own and turned to stone making it fall out of his shield.

It was no use trying to make his sand break down the stone and turn it to sand again. It was as though the kunai deadened the sand and took away his ability to control it with some obscure jutsu.

'_She's trying to wear me down by forcing me to make new sand and attack her clones over and over,'_ he realized after her shadow clone was destroyed and she showed up once again from a different position, _'If she is so confident she'll outlast me then she must have a lot of chakra at her disposal, but there has to be some sort of trick to what she is doing…'_

A few new faces started turning up for their chance to try and take a swing at Gaara. They were all men – most likely more hired highwaymen – and they were real since their blood soon soaked the grass around his feet. None of the normal men were fast enough to get around even his basic defense but that didn't stop the particularly stupid ones from trying anyway. Among them would always be that girl with that old kunai trick that forced him to continue making more sand.

'_I've had enough of this nonsense,'_ he quickly decided and got ready to get rid of anyone nearby quickly. Before his enemies had the time to think they were bombarded with huge waves of sand that took out numbers of them at a time and for a few seconds everything seemed still.

Six more clones of Yin stepped slowly out into the clearing – the large area Gaara had destroyed with his massive sand attacks – creating a perfect circle around Gaara.

Expecting more of those mirror kunai of hers Gaara sent a sand shuriken at each of the surrounding mirrors. Each reflective surface bent and absorbed the projectiles like pools of silver water and sent the attack right back at him. The shuriken had been turned black like the kunai and also deadened the sand that shot up to defend Gaara.

"My mirror can copy any technique its sees and send it back at my opponent, even Kekkai Genkai, but your technique is different. Even my mirror can't affect a demon unless it shows its true self," each clone spoke in perfect unison. No matter which way Gaara turned he was surrounded by the reflections of himself in the six silver mirrors and he could sense the massive chakra behind the reflections. "You can't lie about what you see in the mirror Gaara because what you see is the true you."

Each reflection changed from the red headed Kazekage that stood before it and morphed into the hideous face of a demon that he was all too familiar with. He looked away refusing to even make eye contact with the demonic being in the mirror, but as it turns out there really was no escaping what was portrayed in the mysterious mirrors.

Almost without realizing it the sand from his gourd began covering his body and his skin began turning a yellow colour. Large amounts of sand began forming his tail and arm, and half his face began to change.

"The truth is always in my mirror even if you deny it," Yin reminded once again, "Do you think the woman you love would love you even if she saw you like _this_?"

Two of the clones stepped aside so a figure was visible standing just in front of the line of trees making Gaara's heart almost stop beating.

"Cassie…" He whispered.

There she was plain as day. Her breathing seemed labored and she had a few odd cuts and bruises, but other than that she seemed fine. It was her expression that crushed Gaara inside because she didn't just look afraid or confused she looked mortified. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees, dropping the sword she had stolen, and she tried to back away despite the fact that her legs didn't seem to want to work.

"What are you…?" Cassandra's voice cracked slightly in fear, "What the hell are you?!"

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Cassandra's body felt cold and numb like she was being held down in a bucket of ice water. Surprisingly enough even the numbness made her aware of every scratch, bruise, and other injuries she had acquired trying to stand up and fight. She had almost hoped the numbness would help her get past some of the aches but instead that seemed to be all there was.

Her leg was pretty torn up and would probably need some stitches, there was a dull throbbing in her left shoulder and she couldn't move her left hand so it was probably dislocated, and a headache appeared that seemed to get worse with every heartbeat had manifested from being thrown around so much.

Cassie's mind was working slow making her groggy and she felt like she was in a fog. Things were hard to make out around her but she could still tell Masakazu was the one restraining her from his distant cursing.

'_Focus this is no time to doze off,'_ she ordered herself stubbornly, but that was easier said than done. What that girl used was no ordinary jutsu; it was more like she borrowed her identity, when she touched her forehead it allowed Yang to have a free for all rummaging inside her mind. It was the perfect jutsu since Yang knew everything about her and the package seemed to include her DNA as part of the deal. Cassandra only knew vague stuff like that because there was a little swapping of memories in the process, but she couldn't tell if it was a side affect or if Yang did it on purpose.

'_Awake, you gave to be awake,'_ she chanted in her mind. Cassandra began flexing her sluggish hands that had been pinned to her sides by Masakazu's metal arm. She tested how much movement she could muster by tapping at the metal with her fingernails and seeing how hard she could hit him.

Masakazu yanked sharply on her hair and talked in a slightly bitter tone after being mauled by her dogs, "Its metal smart ass there is no feeling in it. Just stay quiet or I will snap your neck you little runt."

'_Go choke and die already,'_ Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed. There was no way she would let him get away with pulling on her hair like that, it hurt, and she needed to get to Gaara before it was too late.

Even while groggy and half numb her pick pocketing skill had not been affected much, but of course Masakazu's big mistake was not tying her wrists in the first place. She was able to reach the kunai on his belt and he was none the wiser, and what was almost as convenient for her as not being tied was the fact that he couldn't feel her slowly loosening the screws on his arm.

The tiny silver screws didn't make any noise as they plopped one by one onto the soft earth and Cassie was beginning to feel a bit of achievement, _'Serves you right for being such a pervert earlier, and hurting my dogs.'_

One by one his claw like fingers came loose and he never even realized it until they actually fell off.

Running was a pain, literally, her left leg was mangled and her entire body was numb. The moment she hit the ground she doubled over, but she somehow managed to pull herself onto her feet and stumble forward.

She was able to make it a few more feet before tripping over something again. The thing she tripped over just happened to be the container that used to be strapped to Yang's back. The find couldn't have been better, so grabbing it she began to drag it toward the distant sound of fighting in the clearing.

It was tuff going – because the vase was heavy and she was half asleep – and her breathing was labored by the time she was close enough to almost see the fight through the threes. She forced her half limp body so hard her foot caught on a shrub and she fell awkwardly on top of the vase into the clearing.

"Ow…" Cassandra groaned, wondering if she even had any more strength to even get to her feet again, but she didn't realize until she meekly looked up exactly how close she was to where she wanted to be.

The air escaped her lungs for a moment and she thought she might be put under another one of Yang's energy zapping paralysis jutsu, but that wasn't the case. Gaara stood no more than a few yards ahead of them – the imposter version of her standing between them – and what she saw caught her off guard.

One half of his face was the Gaara she had grown to love, but the other half was something completely different. The sand from his gourd had attached itself to him turning his skin yellow with some black markings, and the one side of his mouth was twisted upward in a sharp toothed snarl. His right arm was covered in it to, along with something that appeared to be his tail, but what caught her attention first was his eye. One of his eyes was a completely different colour and the pupil narrowed to slits. That wasn't his eye - it was something else - it belonged to the demon that lived inside him.

'_So this is why everyone is afraid of him,'_ Cassie realized as that demonic eye bore right into her, _'This is why everyone seems to hate him, and this is why he always looks so alone. Whatever it is inside of him that controls the sand … is something completely different from him.'_

Cassandra bit her lip. The one eye that still belonged to Gaara was also looking at her, and that was the one that carried the heart breaking expression. There was sadness and confusion shown clearly there, and that same loneliness he always carried that seemed to be amplified.

The imposter – Yang – turned to give her a slightly angered look that only got worse when she saw Cassie had her vase. Cassie realized, _'I have to do something, now!'_

She only had time to shove the vase out of the way before Yang was completely in her face and lifting her off the ground by her neck. Her eyebrows – or rather Cassandra's – drew together, "You really don't understand when you should leave well enough alone don't you? You don't value your life enough to see when you're outmatched."

"I won't let you hurt him, I won't let you," she choked back. Cassie coughed trying to catch her breath, "Gaara break the vase-!" The vice grip around her neck tightened substantially.

It had been an illusion all along, and Gaara couldn't believe he actually believed it. For a moment he thought he would die inside, but then she came stumbling through the trees once again and he almost felt relieved. It was kind of like getting the chance to rewind time and he would have had a chance to hide himself from her because the last thing he ever wanted was for her to see him like that, but he didn't move. His legs wouldn't let him.

When she yelled for him to break the vase he didn't hesitate. His sand arm extended from his body and shot toward the container and was about to shatter it before Yin jumped in and deadened the sand with her mirror.

The girl holding Cassandra began to change again. Gaara could see her get a little bit taller, and her black hair grew down past her shoulders. There wasn't a perfect replication of Cassie anymore - she was someone different - but definitely not someone unfamiliar.

'_I've seen that woman before … she looks so much like Cassie,'_ Gaara leapt forward as his sand began to take over more of his body and his other arm extended with the sand.

The woman turned toward him and gave a small smile with the same wide green eyes Cassie possessed before jumping out of the way. She dropped Cassie where she would take Gaara's blow and where it would be hardest for Gaara to stop. He was able to make himself it the ground just in front of her instead but she was still sent tumbling backwards.

Gaara froze again for a fraction of a second before leaping forward to catch her. The sand from the arm cushioned her fall, but she didn't move. She just sat slumped over with her bangs in her face as Gaara's sand pulled her in towards his body, _'Kami something's wrong…'_

Surprisingly Cassie's eyes were open wide but there was no real expression on her face, she just seemed to be staring off into space until she finally looked up at him. She didn't look afraid, just sad, like she was coming close to tears.

Most of Gaara's body was transformed – he could see his own reflection in her eyes – but she still didn't look afraid, _'She's amazing and so brave…'_

"You have to break the container," her voice cracked slightly and she seemed to have difficulty breathing, "If it's opened before they are ready they'll have to leave…"

Gaara nodded and turned to the figures still standing behind him. Enough was enough, Gaara wasn't going to accept how they hurt his Cassandra, and he was going to put an end to the fight quickly.

His free hand extended and struck at them with almost twice the speed of before because of his anger. The sand went around the mirror Yin was holding but she still managed to barely escape with the container in tact, and her shape shifting sister got grazed and bounded away with a shallow cut on her arm.

For the first time Yin was showing signs of frustration so she was obviously not expecting such a fierce comeback after spending so much time trying to wear Gaara down. Or rather she did not expect Masakazu would be stupid enough to let her escape and come barging in to give the Kazekage the boost of anger he needed to improve his performance in battle.

Another wave of sand barreled in Yin and Yang's direction and they had no choice but to keep running. After using so many big moves they expected Gaara to run out of steam sooner or later but he just kept rolling out attack after attack until finally a sand shuriken made a lucky shot and glanced off the frame of Yin's mirror. The mirror turned in the wrong direction for less than a second but it was all that he needed to have his sand find a way around and crush the vase-like container to dust.

"Damn," Yang swore in a voice that did not belong to her.

Both girls just disappeared, and whatever had been in the container expanded in a great ball of energy. It was similar to a small bomb and it forced Gaara to jump back and shield Cassandra from its blast.

Afterwards there was nothing left around the spot where the contents of the vase had touched. All the sand Gaara used was turned to black stone and the few surviving trees nearby had been leveled. Everything around the site was completely silent as the dust settled.

"They're not coming back," Cassie said in a tired little voice. Her eye lids felt like they weighed a ton and her body just had no more will left in it to move, "We'll be … alright now … I feel so tired…"

The sand began to retreat back inside his gourd and Gaara could feel his body slowly turning back to normal. It was only a few short seconds before his actual arms were the ones supporting Cassandra's small limp body, and he took the chance to pull her into his chest, "You should sleep."

Cassie's hand clutched the fabric of Gaara's shirt and she closed her eyes for a moment, it was just so hard to stay awake, "I don't want to sleep … I'll just see her face again, and it hurts…"

"Its ok if you sleep, I'm right here," Gaara picked her up bridal style, "I'm not going to leave you. No one will take you from me."

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**And so ends the big fight scene I have been promising you guys for a little while now! This extra long chapter (11 pages on Word) is my official Christmas present to the Fanfiction community! (Even though I hoped it would be a Christmas chapter, but hey, this will do.)**

**Now onto other business, like the lemon I'm gonna write …. Ahh!!! (runs around screaming) My first _ever_ lemon, OMFG!!! (_Probably my good friend Pyropixie will be my Beta reader_) I still want your opinions guys so review and don't be afraid to message me because I love hearing from you all.**

**Have a Merry Christmas everyone!**

**Starchip13**


	24. Finally Arriving

**Chapter #24**

**Finally Arriving**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Hey, I got another chapter done already (I am so freaking proud of myself). Things about the attack do get completely explained as the story goes (its not random so don't worry), you all just need to be patient and let the plot points unfold a bit more.**

**In the mean time there is going to be a long awaited fluff overload (sorry again, the Christmas day chapter is right after this, and it will be long don't worry) so excuse me and my happy 'ocular gusher' tears while I slave over my keyboard! (Lol I think I may have had a little bit to much Pepsi…)**

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"_Its ok if you sleep, I'm right here," Gaara picked her up bridal style, "I'm not going to leave you. No one will take you from me."_

Back at camp the two eldest sand siblings waited along with Cassandra's family for Gaara to come back. They had been waiting for hours and they could sometimes even hear the commotion happening far off in the distance which made them even more restless.

Hale had been threatening to run off by himself to go find his sister and he would have on several occasions had Kankuro not dragged him back every time. Temari spent the last few hours trying to calm down Daichi who seemed like she was about to burst a blood vessel. Gina had been bawling ever since she got back to her mother who started crying right along with her.

Suddenly both dogs came barreling through the trees barking and making a fuss. Kobi was sporting a rainbow of cuts and bruises that were slowly showing up from under his light coloured fur while Cori seemed to be in much better shape.

It was a few seconds later when Gaara came walking through the trees with Cassandra fast asleep in his arms.

Daichi was the first to his feet by far, and with a petrified look on his face, "What happened to her?"

"She's asleep," stated Gaara, "So be quiet."

"What _happened_ to her?" Hale insisted.

"Ok just sit down for a minute Hale," Temari instructed firmly, "We can get through this a bit faster if you just calm down."

"Hey what's going on over here?" Two new forms came leaping out of the shadows, two people the sand-nin knew well.

The first was a bored looking Jounin with his hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail and the second was a pink haired medic-nin.

"Shikamaru," Temari let out a sigh of relief, "Sakura-chan!"

"What has been going on out here we could hear the commotion all the way in the village," Shikamaru asked in his usual dull tone, "Hokage-sama sent four of us to see what was happening."

"Four?" asked Kankuro.

"Naruto and Sasuke out searching, we figured it be faster if we split up," Sakura explained, "So what on earth is going on?"

"There was some trouble with a small group of highwaymen hired to capture us," Temari answered and turned to Gaara for the rest of the story.

Gaara didn't feel up to talking but he did owe some kind of summary of what happened after Temari left, "They were a pair of sisters, one looked like she was no more than ten, and the other one kept transforming so I couldn't tell what she looked like. I destroyed some container they needed and they ran off so you'll need to send people to look for them. They're strong, be careful."

"We'll tell that to Naruto and Sasuke when they catch up," Sakura nodded, "But what about the girl? Is she alright? Do you want me to take a look at her?"

Nodding Gaara put Cassandra down so Sakura could examine her. Sakura was a quick worker and immediately began healing the cuts on Cassie's legs with her chakra. She also located Cassie's dislocated shoulder and healed that as well, and when she was finished the expression on Cassie's face was much more peaceful.

"She'll be fine, but her body was almost completely drained earlier so she its best to let her sleep for a while," Sakura instructed.

Gaara let out a small sigh of relief, _'I can't believe I let this happen…'_

Cassandra's eyelashes fluttered and her eyebrows furrowed for moment, "Hmm…"

"Cassie can you hear me?" Daichi grabbed his daughter's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I feel dizzy…" Cassie's voice was so soft they barely even caught what she said.

"You need to sleep to regain your energy," Sakura said once again, "Just go back to sleep and try to relax. We're going to take you back to Konoha."

Without a word Gaara moved forward and scooped her up again so he was holding her bridal style in his arms. He told her before she fell asleep no one would take her from him, and he knew he was being a little possessive about it, but somehow he couldn't help it. Especially after watching her get the injuries Sakura had to heal in the first place.

The two Konoha-nin looked confused for a minute but didn't say anything as Gaara walked off towards Konoha.

"Do I even dare ask?" Shikamaru turned to Temari who was by his side.

"Gaara found himself a little sweetheart," Temari gave a small grin and took Shikamaru's hand, "You should meet her when she is conscious, she's a really sweet girl."

"I didn't think Gaara and sweet went together," Sakura had the same little smile Temari had, "So when did this happen Temari-chan?"

"A while back now, but lets save the adorable stories until we get back to the village," Temari gave Shikamaru's hand a gentle squeeze, "You wouldn't believe how many times I wished I had a camera with those two around."

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"I want to walk…" Cassandra whined.

"No." Gaara knew she was just being stubborn, but she still needed to rest to regain her strength even if she appeared to be healing faster than expected. So much for her sleeping the injuries off.

"But Gaara-kun I'm not tired…" she murmured before giving a loud yawn.

"Just rest for a little while," he insisted.

Cassie sighed and leaned her head on Gaara's shoulder, "That girl did something really weird. She only touched me for a second and along with screwing around in my memories she showed me the highlights of what was planned to happen. I didn't know the specifics but that container had something that was important to them inside so I kind of took a stab in the dark by telling you to crush it..."

'_She took her memories so she would be able to act out Cassie perfectly, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference myself had she not come crashing through the trees at the last minute,'_ Gaara looked down at her tired face for a moment, "I'm sorry about letting all this happen."

"I don't know why you're apologizing. None of this was anyone's fault but those two girls," she pointed out, "You're the one that ended up finishing it."

'_Only after nearly loosing myself and allowing you to see me in that form,'_ he pointed out to himself, "You should sleep for a little while before we get to the village."

"I don't want to sleep … that Yang girl did something in my head that keeps making me remember stuff I don't want to remember," Cassie looked down at her hands, "Every time I close my eyes I see the time when my mom was still in the hospital. It was pretty close to the end and they had her on a lot of pain medication so she wasn't really … herself. I remember going in to give her flowers and she turned to me and asked me my name, and after talking to her for a little while I realized she didn't even _remember_ who I was. I don't want to have to keep reliving that."

There was a long silence between the two. Cassie was the first to speak as usual, "I should thank you for saving me … again. I must be a nuisance the way I keep getting in the way huh?"

"They attacked because they wanted to get to me, and you were the bait."

"Do I have to keep reminding you that it was _you_ that finished it?" Smiling softly she buried her face in Gaara's neck and kissed him, "All I ever see is the Gaara I know. I stopped being afraid of monsters when I was very small, and I know you're no monster."

For a few moments he held onto her just a little tighter, _'What would I do without her?'_

"Gaara," Cassandra grinned and held her hand out to catch one of the small white snowflakes that begun to fall, "Look its snowing."

That was no surprise. It was freezing cold outside and clouds gathered quite some time ago making it dull and grey out. Gaara hadn't thought anything of it and he certainly didn't think all that much about snow.

"Have you ever been in Konoha in the winter?"

"No."

"Wow, have you every actually _seen_ snow before?"

Another thing Gaara never actually thought about it. It was true, he never seen snow in his life, he did live in a desert after all…

Laughing her cheeks went slightly rosy and she kissed his cheek, "See, aren't you glad you came now?"

"Very," he agreed.

A short distance away Naruto and Sasuke were passing by on their way to rendezvous with Shikamaru and Sakura when they happened to catch a glimpse of Gaara with a pretty young girl in his arms. It was just to tempting to look so – being sure to keep their distance and hide their chakra – they stopped to watch for a moment.

"No way," Naruto gaped for a moment with a big goofy grin on his face, "Wadda ya know, the sand freak has a girlfriend!"

"Keep your voice down dobe," Sasuke hissed, but even Uchiha Sasuke had a small smirk forming on his face.

"Wow where did he find her anyway? She's pretty cute," Naruto snickered.

Sasuke shook his head and hit Naruto over the head, "Come on we have to go meet Sakura."

"Sasuke-teme," the hyperactive blonde muttered as he followed Sasuke back into the woods.

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It didn't take long for the others to catch up and by then they were already at the Konoha gates. Cassandra insisted that she start walking shortly before they got to the gates, but she was slow, slightly lethargic, and she had to hold onto Gaara's arm for support. Still, everyone did find it impressive that she had even that much energy when Sakura said that she would have been more likely to sleep until the until the next day.

They ended up at a house on the outskirts of the village, just an average little home, and it was type of place where you would expect someone to be raising a family.

One of the windows opened – the one that led to the kitchen – and a dark haired woman glanced outside. She had to look a second time before grinning and running back into the house and out to the door.

She was a woman in her late thirties or early forties with her long ebony hair twisted into a braid that ended just past her shoulder blades. Gaara almost thought she was seeing Cassandra's mother again, but there were some differences that were hard to miss. Her eyes were a bit narrower and a honey hazel colour, she was a little bit taller than Cassandra's mother, and her face was slimmer and didn't share the same childish roundness. Her obviously pregnant belly bulged out from her body.

Following closely behind her was a young man about the same height as Gaara – though a year or two older - who had neatly combed light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a loose fitting white shirt that complimented his lean muscled body and a pair of comfortable blue jeans.

Next to him were two young children – a little boy and girl - that didn't look more than four years old. They were obviously twins because they both had the same blonde hair (the boy's was in a mop cut and the girl's was about mid back length and up in pigtails), blue eyes, and similar facial features. The two were even dressed in similar outfits.

The little blonde boy pulled a camera out of his pocket and handed it to his twin sister who began clicking pictures so fast Gaara had spots dancing all over his eyes.

"Daichi, Hale, Cassie, its been a long time," the woman greeted warmly before looking over the several faces she didn't recognize, "It seems you brought some visitors for the holidays this year now haven't you?"

"Afraid we have," Daichi laughed and gave the woman a big hug, and then pointed to Hana and Gina, "This is Chiba Hana and her daughter Gina, I told you about them in the letter I sent."

"And this is Temari, Kankuro, and Sabaku No Gaara," Cassie piped up.

"Sabaku No Gaara as in the Kazekage?" The woman looked a little bit shocked and it took her a few seconds to respond. Remembering her manners she smiled sweetly and gave a shallow bow, "Well it's very nice to meet you all. My name is Alex, I am Daichi's sister-in-law. This is my son Fujita, and the twins Kin and Gin."

"Nice to meet you," Fujita stepped forward with a smile similar to his mother's, "Now are we all going to come inside or wait until we are frozen to the walkway?"

The group walked in and found seats in the living room which became quickly crowded with the amount of people. Fujita went off with the twins to go grab some extra chairs from the dining room while Cassie claimed a spot on the love seat and Gaara sat down next to her. Temari, Kankuro, Hale and Gina tried their best to all find a seat on the couch even if Gina was half sitting on top of hale. Daichi and Hana took two of the seats brought in from the kitchen and Alex sat on the overstuffed chair next to the couch.

The twins ran up and climbed onto Cassandra's lap chatting happily and giving her big hugs.

"Wow Kin, and Gin you have gotten so big since I last saw you," Cassie wrapped her arms around both children, "I barely recognized you two."

"How long are you going to stay Cassie-chan?" Kin asked excitedly.

"What did you get us for Christmas?" Gin asked with her most innocent smile.

Cassie stuck her tongue out, "Hey I'm not telling you nosy little bugs."

"Aw," the twins whined in unison.

"Hey," Fujita leaned over the back of the love seat and messed up Cassandra's hair, "I want to hear _everything_ about what's going on in Sunagakure Cassie, and no details will be skipped. Especially the ones that explains why Kazekage-sama is here."

"Can't that stuff wait until later?" Cassandra pouted, "We have been traveling forever and I'm too tired to deal with you Fujita."

"You look tired too," Fujita laughed, "What did you do before you got here anyway? Run laps around the village?"

Cassandra laughed, "While it's snowing, not a chance."

"So Kazekage-sama how long are you going to be in Konoha?" Fujita said with his attention turned to the stoic red head.

'_So long as Cassie is here,'_ was his inner thought but he wasn't about to actually say it so he just shrugged, "Until after the holidays."

The group heard the sound of the door opening and three male voices from the hallway.

"Raidon must be home," Alex announced happily.

Two men walked in the room, two of which Gaara recognized instantly by their trademark green spandex suits, bowl cuts, and thick eyebrows. The third was a man in his early forties, Gai's height with sandy blonde hair, and a medium build. He assumed he was 'Raidon' who was obviously Alex's husband.

Gai and Lee shot across the room in the blink of an eye, picking up Cassie before she even realized what was going on.

"Ah if it isn't my youthful little cousin," Gai declared happily as he gave Cassie a death grip hug.

"Welcome back Cassie-chan," Lee cheered.

"No air … choking … not breathing…" Cassie wheezed.

Gai released her after a few minutes – hints of blue were beginning to show in her lips – and set her back on her feet again just so he could beam at her, "Honestly you should come visit more often, we always have to wait so long, and I know Tenten was wondering when you guys would be coming up from Suna again."

A few seconds later Lee finally sensed the pair of sea foam coloured eyes staring in their direction, "Gaara-sama? What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," Gaara was getting sick of having to explain his presents.

Cassandra glanced at the two of them, "You two know each other?"

"We met back during the Chunin exams," Lee explained.

"Oh," Cassie yawned.

It was clear that she was still exhausted after having gone through a night of near hell and she was fighting just to keep her eyes open. Her feet felt weighed down but somehow she still made it back to the love seat and collapsed back into the cushions with her legs pulled into her chest.

"Well that saves another – yawn – introduction down doesn't it?" Cassie slid sideways – she didn't even have the strength to sit up anymore – until she was leaning against Gaara's shoulder.

"Oh my, what is wrong with her?" Alex got to her feet in concern.

Daichi's eyebrows furrowed, "There was an accident on the way over here. She was healed, but she has been tired ever since. She wasn't even supposed to be walking around but she was being stubborn."

"We'll get her to the spare room upstairs so she can rest then," Alex said.

Gaara picked the half asleep girl up and followed Alex up the stairs.

Cassandra groaned in annoyance, "But I'm fine…"

"Just sleep for a while," insisted Gaara in a low tone Alex couldn't hear, "Or so help me I am tying you to the bed."

"Fine," Cassie turned so she could burry her face in Gaara's chest, "But just for a little while, you have to wake me up later ok?"

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**Ahhhh! I don't want to leave it off here but I am at my dad's for the next few days and I won't be able to write, so I thought to myself 'I can't be mean they must have new chapters for showering me with their kick ass reviews!!' (Anime river tears of happiness)**

**The next chapter will be out soon (as soon as its written lol), so sit tight and review like your life depends on it!**

**Starchip13**


	25. Look Who is Under the Mistletoe!

**Chapter #25**

**Look Who is Under the Mistletoe!**

**_Disclaimer_:**

**Star: Seasons greetings everyone! Guess what? I finally wrote the damn Christmas chapter – like a week after Christmas - I have been talking about for freaking ever! (Sweat drops) Hehe don't look at me like that I could get a brain tumor or a nervous breakdown from all my writing! (Ahem) Anyway instead of me doing the disclaimer as usual (special occasion and all) I got Cassie-chan and Gaara-kun to come in!**

**Cassie: We get to do the disclaimer? Yeah this is so much fun!**

**Gaara: …why the hell am I here? I don't want any part of this.**

**Star: Aw come on Gaara we need a disclaimer here!!**

**Gaara: No.**

**Cassie: I know what will convince him! Gaara come here for a sec (whispers something in his ear)**

**Gaara: (Wide eyes) …Starchip13 doesn't own Naruto and co. (Silently takes Cassie's hand and walks rigidly off stage)**

**Star: (totally out of the loop) …I don't even wanna know … ENJOY THE CHAPPIE!**

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Cassandra slept soundly the rest of the day and all through the night.

Gaara never really left the entire time. When his siblings left to take their things to a hotel for the night he was only out of the house for a few seconds before giving an excuse – he didn't even remember what he said – and climbing back in through the window to where she was sleeping.

It was early the very morning after they arrived when she finally stirred and opened her eyes to see Gaara watching her from the end of the bed. She sat up and stretched her limbs for a minute before yawning again, "Gaara-kun? How long have I been sleeping?"

"Its morning," he stated flatly.

"Aw," Cassie groaned, "It's been that long? You should have woken me up Gaara."

"Are you feeling any better?"

Swinging her feet over the side of the bed she got up and stretched her stiff body again, "Ya I feel loads better! I feel like I have so much energy, and …hey how long have you been watching me anyway?"

"A while."

"Talkative this morning aren't you Gaara?" She smiled at him and looked at the clock, "Damn, you know what there are only a couple days left until Christmas and I have a ton of stuff to do? Alex always needs help with the cooking since she runs her own stand during the festival, the twins are always such a handful, and no doubt Fujita will be looking for someone to help out at the festival. Kami knows he used me as the model for the performance costumes last year…"

'_So that was why she got so worked up over falling asleep,'_ it amused Gaara that she always took on more than everyone else.

"I have a meeting with the Hokage today," Gaara stated finally as he turned toward the window to leave, "I'll stop by later."

"How come no matter what village we are in you seem to have a problem with doors…?"

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Kankuro, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Lee sat at the ramen shop enjoying their lunch. Well, maybe that wouldn't be the way to put it. Lee and Naruto were having a ramen eating contest and they were both slurping down their sixth bowls. The sight was beginning to make Kankuro and Shikamaru loose their appetites.

"Hey Kankuro … is that your brother?" Shikamaru asked as he turned away from the sight of Naruto and Lee chow down on their eighth bowls.

Kankuro looked up as well and nearly spat out ramen noodles, "No way…"

The only thing more amusing than watching Gaara actually show affection toward someone was watching him slowly get frustrated trying to buy a present for that person.

Gaara was starting to wish he had thought about buying a present for Cassie earlier. He really was clueless since he had never bought a Christmas present before, well maybe one Christmas he did get his siblings something, but that was different because they were family. He never thought buying something for someone he _liked_ would be so difficult…

'_None of this stuff seems right for her,'_ his eyebrows furrowed as he slowly walked from shop to shop.

"Oi Gaara what are you doing?"

'_Kami my luck is not that bad is it…?'_

His brother, along with Lee, Shikamaru, and Naruto were by his side faster than he was able to find an escape. Each of them had their own stupid smile on their face that gave Gaara a sense of impending doom.

Kankuro nudged Gaara, "What you shopping for Gaara?"

"Nothing."

Naruto's goofy smile widened, "Well if it's nothing then why do you look so annoyed."

"Go away."

Shikamaru didn't have the same dopy grin as the rest of them, he didn't have the ambition or energy for that, "Ah, shopping for someone is so troublesome, especially a girl…"

"Why are you guys still here?"

Lee struck his usual good guy pose, "Buying a gift for the person you love is a lot easier when you have a second opinion! We'll come along and help in the spirit of youth!"

"Why me…?" Gaara groaned under his breath.

"Hey, you may not always think so but I am your older brother, and I think this might be one of those rare occasions you might want to actually listen to my advice," stated Kankuro authoritatively, "Do you even know where to start."

Gaara didn't respond in hopes they would loose interest and leave. No such luck

Lee would always point out anything green. Naruto insisted ramen was the best gift. Shikamaru pointed out that most woman loved jewelry, and then there was Kankuro's idea…

"No."

The five of them stood in front of a glass display case in which the curvy manikins were wearing different types of frilly lingerie. All the signs said things like _'for your special someone'_ or _'her Christmas wish'_, particularly over the skimpier outfits that covered almost nothing at all.

Both Lee and Naruto were blushing as their eyes were glued to the display case as Shikamaru looked at the prices while mumbled something about Temari. Kankuro was grinning with satisfaction while Gaara actually looked a little red himself from anger and embarrassment.

"Aw come on Gaara I know you're imagining her in one of these," Kankuro teased, "Lots of skin exposed, those long legs, and her--"

"Leave. Right. Now." Gaara seethed, and after prying their eyes away from the store they did so and left the very angry – and slightly embarrassed – Kazekage to finish shopping on his own.

Gaara turned in the other direction so if they looked back they wouldn't be able to see him whipping a bit of blood from his nose, _'Stupid Kankuro and his stupid contagious perverted thoughts. Kami I can't believe I actually fell for that one!'_

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Cassie trudged around the room with both Kin and Gin clinging to her legs. It didn't bother her to much since she was strong enough to keep walking even if she had to drag them across the floor, and it actually kind of reminded her of her training with Gai-sensei. Those days were certainly … unforgettable.

"Alright the rice crispies are finished, now how many cookies do you need for your stand?"

Alex glanced over the table overflowing with hundreds of Christmas treats they already baked thoughtfully, "A few dozen should do the trick. The cookies are always the best sellers. People love Christmas sugar cookies."

It was finally the twenty-forth, and the festival was starting in a few short hours so Cassandra and Alex had been up since the crack of dawn baking.

"What smells so nice girls?" Fujita asked as he walked in the house.

"The food stand stuff," Alex replied, "and don't you even think about stealing anything to munch on because Kin and Gin are our taste testers."

Fujita put his hands up in the air laughing, "I wouldn't think of it. Besides I'm here for another reason, well, two other reasons I guess you could say."

A girl with her brown hair pulled up into two tight buns ran in from the hallway and wrapped her arms around Cassie, "I was glad when Lee said you finally gotten back to Konoha we've all missed you so much!"

"Tenten?" Cassandra staggered backwards in surprise for a moment before returning the hug, "Wow I didn't expect to see you until after the festival."

"Thus reason number two why I am not here to admire your cooking skills," Fujita announced happily, "Mom I'm sorry but I'm going to have to steal your co-cook for a few hours."

Without warning Tenten through Cassie over her shoulder and Kin and Gin let go of her legs, "Come on Cassie-chan we need to get you changed!"

"Hey what gives?" Cassie struggled, but Tenten was a Jounin and much stronger than she was.

"Fujita-chan asked me to help out with the festival this year," explained Tenten with a slightly maniacal grin, "With the entertainment portion."

"Oh no, no freaking way you two," Cassie shook her head rapidly.

"Just make sure she's still in one peace for the Christmas party tonight you two," Alex didn't seem to be paying attention to Cassandra's protests, "I still need someone to help me get the food ready then too."

Tenten walked up the stairs with Cassandra still over her back like a sack of potatoes, "Roger will do!"

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Everyone seemed to be doing something or another for the bustling Christmas festival. Gaara spotted Cassie's aunt Alex running her own busy little baked goods table. Choji was the Santa sitting up on the big chair with both Tenten and Hinata as his elves, and so on. In a little less than an hour Gaara was pretty sure he had seen every Konoha shinobi he came to know since the Chunin exams.

"Hey Gaara wait up," the bored shinobi of Konoha called dully.

"What is it?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Beats me, Temari told me to find you and take you to the stage. She didn't tell me why."

The two walked down towards the end of the street where a large stage was set up for the performers of the festival. Fujita was already standing on stage with the microphone in his hand as the crowd began to gather.

"Crowds are so troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled after having someone step on his foot.

"Alright everyone its time for the first act to begin," Cassie's cousin announced enthusiastically, "I want you to give a warm welcome to our little angels!"

The curtains were pulled aside, and Gaara was so caught off guard he had to take a second look. It was not just the fact that out of the three people standing up on stage Cassie was the one in the middle, it was what she was _wearing_.

The white dress she was wearing was certainly flattering. It looked like a modified toga that gave her a sleeveless low plunging neckline and showed off an awful lot of leg. The fabric clung to her thin frame and the obi belt around her waist made the whole thing amplify her curves. A pair of feathery wings was tied to her back, and a silver headband held both her hair back and a silver halo above her head by a thin wire.

'…_wow,_' Gaara swallowed hard. He was one of the closest people to the stage so he had the best view.

Cassandra couldn't believe she got suckered into actually singing. She wasn't afraid of performing or anything – she had more confidence than that – it was just that she strongly disliked being the center of attention among a couple hundred people. Some people were attention seekers, Iwate Cassandra was not.

"We're singing Jingle Bell Rock first," one of the two other girls on stage whispered in her ear. She a white ribbon in her pink hair and a dress similar to Cassandra's. They were only briefly introduced before getting on stage, her name was Haruno Sakura.

The second girl, a blonde named Yamanaka Ino gave Cassandra a slight nudge, "Hey you're the one that Gaara likes right? Well don't look twice, but I think he's enjoying his view."

'_Good lord Jesus Christ why the hell am I doing this?'_ Cassie hoped everyone would think her rosy cheeks were from the chilly air.

Her voice was as beautiful as ever. Along with Sakura and Ino they sang a lot of familiar Christmas songs – made a little more up-beat courtesy of Fujita. The crowd loved it, but no one more than Gaara who watched intently the entire time.

A small smile took the chance to appear when everyone was paying attention to the stage and not looking at him, _'This is the best Christmas I've ever had.'_

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After the festival almost everyone went back to Alex's house for a bit of a Christmas party. Like most parties you see in bad teen movies it had a surprising turn out which included a lot of the Konoha shinobi that knew Gai. That included most of the elite Jounin teachers, and some of their students.

Cassie's eyebrow twitched slightly as she sipped her punch and listened to some guy she didn't even know babble on in his attempt to flirt, _'Why exactly am I still in this dress?'_

"And so he says…" the man continued to go on about something she didn't even care about until a familiar red headed Kazekage made his way through the crowded room.

"Where have you been Gaara-kun? I haven't seen you all night," Cassie would have felt a little bit more relieved if the dress wasn't so damn revealing, but at least she would be getting out of a conversation she wasn't even part of in the first place.

"I had something I needed to take care of," he stated calmly, "Come with me there is something I need to tell you."

Cassie got up and left the conversation without a word, not that it mattered since the guy barely noticed and immediately started talking to someone else.

Following Gaara back through the crowd again the two stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen so they were a little more out of the way.

Gaara was about to speak when Kin and Gin popped up out of nowhere with their camera ready, "Look who is under the mistletoe! Look who is under the mistletoe!"

'_Who is under the what…?'_ It took Gaara a moment before he looked up at the funny looking little plant tacked to the doorway.

"Ha, way to go Gaara," Naruto's voice could be heard above the crowd along with a few other loud individuals.

"What are they so excited about?" Gaara asked obliviously.

There was a slight red hue to Cassie's cheeks as she sensed more eyes on them, "Its mistletoe Gaara, when two people are caught standing under it together they gave to kiss."

Great, Gaara wanted a little privacy from prying eyes and in a few short seconds he caught the attention of at least half the room. Then on top of that they were expected to kiss in front of everyone, including Cassandra's little camera happy cousins.

Looking up at Gaara her blush grew and she leaned up so their noses were almost touching, "Well Gaara-kun?"

On the inside he had a smirk and he was able to push the fact that they had quite the audience off to a corner of his mind. He leaned in and met her lips. He felt those familiar gentle arms wrap around his neck and for a few moments he actually forgot about the crowd. But of course that didn't make them disappear.

Kin and Gin were snapping pictures like crazy, Lee and Gai were giving thumbs up, Naruto was grinning like an idiot, and Gaara was pretty sure he heard someone whistle in the background.

Not making eye contact with anyone Gaara led Cassie outside before anyone was able to stop him.

He was finally able to get the privacy he had been seeking and he took the chance to fish a small package out of his pocket and held it out for Cassie, "Here I got you something. Merry Christmas."

"Thank you very much that's very thoughtful," Cassandra smiled gratefully as she tore the wrapping paper off the present.

Underneath was a pretty little jewelry box made of highly polished dark wood. Little green vines were carved and painted into the wood on the sides along with little white flowers – obviously daisies – made the design on the lid.

"Oh wow it's beautiful," she murmured thoughtfully.

"Look inside," instructed Gaara.

Cassie flipped open the top like she was told and her face lit up. She pulled out a small silver coin on a matching thin silver chain. On the one side of the coin was the kanji for 'luck' and on the other side was the kanji symbol for 'love'.

"Its supposed to be a good like charm," Gaara explained. He held out his hand to offer to help her put it on and she accepted, holding her hair out of the way for him.

"It's so pretty, thank you so much," once the necklace was one Cassie turned and wrapped her arms around him. "Shoot I have your present up in my room."

Gaara quickly picked Cassie up – he had to watch where his hands were because of the dress – and leapt up to the roof where the window was. It was a lot easier than going back through the house since he could sense Naruto and Kankuro fighting for the best spot to spy on the two of them.

"Bur that is kind of chilly in a dress like this," Cassie pulled her skirt back down so it would cover her properly again before dragging her backpack out from under the bed.

"It's officially midnight so it's Christmas day, and that means it's finally time to give this to you," She pulled out a present wrapped in a dark red fabric and handed it out to Gaara with a grin, "Since you really didn't tell me what you wanted you were kind of hard to shop for, nothing seemed quite right, and if you think I was buying last minute it really took me a while to figure it out. But then I heard it in the marketplace and I couldn't resist!"

"Heard?" His curiosity peaked Gaara unwrapped the present. The whole thing was wrapped in a crimson sash with a silver dragon design on it. As it turned out inside the sash was a rather unusual picture frame. Around the frame was painted to look like a late sunset with the deep crimson reds near the very bottom and deep navy blue spotted with tiny silver stars at the top. In the top corner was a large crescent moon.

Seeing his confused look Cassie giggled and showed him a small key he had to turn on the bottom. When it was wound up all the way it began playing the _Moonlight Sonata_ from the little music box at the base.

"You can listen to the Moonlight Sonata whenever you want now and it is something nice to have around is it not? You can put any picture you want in there so it makes a great keepsake!" Cassie couldn't help but grin wider, "The sash I wrapped it in is for you too. It was in the same shop and I thought it suited you."

'_She really is adorable,' _Gaara looked at his gifts bemused then at Cassie who was beaming back at him, _'She is the only one that will smile just a little bit brighter when I'm around.'_

With the smallest of smiles he ran his fingers through her silky dark hair, "Thank you."

"I'm just glad you liked it," she responded by leaning into his touch.

Cassie was warm, she was always warm, everything from her smile to her touch. Gaara was grateful that those eyes of her only saw him, and he almost wondered what he had done to deserve someone like her…

Gaara leaned in and kissed her again, but deeper than before. They were finally alone so he was free to run his hands up and down her back, and run his fingers through her hair again. His tongue slipped in her mouth taking full advantage of the moment and enjoying the warmth he felt just by having her so close.

They parted for air and Cassie laid her head on his chest. Her body was finally starting to catch up with the fact that she got up at the crack of dawn cooking, sung at the Christmas Eve festival, and then spent most of the night at the party still going on downstairs. Cassie's eyelids felt heavy and she clung to Gaara letting the sound of his heartbeat sooth her.

He picked her up again and carried her to the bed so she could sleep but she continued to hold onto Gaara's shirt, "Will you stay with me while I sleep? Just for a little while?"

With a nod Gaara set his gourd on the floor and he climbed into the bed with Cassie half asleep in his arms. She fell asleep with her face buried in her chest with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you so much Gaara."

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**Yay I finally finished the chapter! You wouldn't believe how long I was mulling over exactly what the gifts were going to turn out to be (that slowed me down a lot). I hope you all had happy holidays and enjoyed my fluffy little Christmas chapter.**

**Thank you for so many reviews, keep up the good work!**

**Starchip13**


	26. A Well Deserved Break

**Chapter #26**

**A Well Deserved Break**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**We all know poor Cassie-chan always overworks herself so she's finally gonna get a break by hanging out with the Konoha Kunoichi. Oo yes I went there I created an all girls sleepover chapter! (I'm sorry for the stupid cliché but it _had_ to be done!) Kankuro and Naruto are stuck babysitting the twins and a plan to spy on the girl's party? Hehe I giggled to myself as I wrote this!**

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Even after waking up early Christmas morning – courtesy of the twins who wanted to open presents – no one ever saw Cassandra take a break. A pair of rowdy four-year-olds is enough of a handful for most people, but on top of that she spent all that day cooking, cleaning, and doing everything else as usual.

That Christmas night she fell to bed exhausted once again – she didn't even bother to change out of her cloths before going to sleep.

The next morning Kin and Gin were up early again and running down the hallway toward where Cassandra was sleeping when Temari and Tenten stepped in front of the door.

"No way you two, you're going to let Cassie sleep today," Temari shook her finger at the young twins, "The whole point of being here for the holidays is to take it easy and everyone has done that but her."

"So today we are going to introduce the two of you to your new babysitters," added Tenten as the two women led the twins downstairs where Kankuro and Naruto were waiting. Both boys were obliviously unaware as to exactly what was in store for them.

"Kankuro and Naruto, meet the twins Kin and Gin, and vise versa," announced Temari, "Kankuro and Naruto will be your babysitters for today so have fun and go sledding or something until your mother gets back from shopping."

Naruto ran after Temari as she turned to leave, "Oi wait a minute here when did we agree to this?!"

"You didn't but we asked everyone else and they're busy," Temari answered off handedly.

"Its no use Naruto, she's not going to listen you know." Kankuro sighed, "Besides how hard could taking care of a couple four-year-olds be? They're less than half our height and they haven't gotten any ninja training yet so we don't have to worry about them causing chaos-"

"Dude-"

"-I bet if we just hand them some construction paper and glue they'll be entertained for hours-"

"Oi Kankuro-"

"What? Will you stop interrupting me Naruto?"

Naruto frowned, "I've been trying to tell you that they're gone. The kids ran off shortly after Temari left."

"Shit!"

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Hanging off the edge of the chair so she was looking at the screen upside-down did not making playing the video game any easier, but it was sure entertaining. What made it even better was the fact that for some reason when four people played _Mario Cart_ together a lot more yelling and cursing usually goes on than driving.

There were five girls – not including Cassie – crowding Tenten's living room, four of which were occupied playing the game. Cassie was sprawled out on her back on the recliner chair playing surprisingly well as Luigi (she loved his little green outfit), Ino – as princess Daisy - was on the love seat next to Sakura – Princess Peach – yelling names between the two of them, and Temari was sitting on the floor laughing as she battled – as Yoshi - with Cassie for first place. Temari sat on the couch sharing an oversized bowl of popcorn with Hinata. Temari and Hinata would be the ones to take on the first and second place winners.

The rankings ended up with Cassie in first place, Tenten in close second, and Sakura was in third by a hair ahead of Ino.

Cassie really didn't know how she ended up staying at Tenten's house for a big sleepover with the other girls. She woke up at her usual time expecting to go through her routine, when Tenten and Temari dragged her out of the house – after she showered of course – insisting she take a day off. After some assuring that they got someone capable to watch the twins she finally agreed to just calm down and enjoy herself.

And so begun the night of enough video games, movies, and party pranks so turn anyone's brain to cottage cheese…

"Popcorn," Cassie announced before opening her mouth wide. Temari responded by expertly tossing piece of popcorn right into her mouth.

"What next?" asked Sakura, "Movie, or a video game?"

"What do we have for movies?" asked Temari lazily.

Hinata glanced at the pile of rented DVDs and began reading off a few choice titles, "A few Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Saw, and a Fifty First Dates."

(A/N: I don't own Mario Cart or any of the movies listed)

"I don't feel like watching another movie quite yet, and I think we exhausted all the video games," Ino complained. A smile that signaled an idea suddenly appeared on her lips, "We should play truth or dare."

Sakura groaned, "Aw come on that is the oldest game in the book. Its so freaking cliché it's not even funny."

Ino smirked, "What you chicken or something billboard brow?"

"Hell no," Sakura wasn't going to let Ino get the best of her, "I'm in if the rest of you are."

"I'm in if Temari will throw me some more popcorn," Cassie opened her mouth again and then awaited her treat. When she started chewing on the popcorn she nodded and sat right-side-up again, "Ok Cassie is happy, and she is ready to partake in mindless immature fun."

"Ok we flip a coin to see who starts," Temari pulled a quarter from her pocket.

"Ah, there is nothing like mindless party games to make you feel like you're a little kid," Tenten laughed.

"Speaking of little kids," Cassie glanced at Tenten and Temari, "You never did tell me who you got to watch the twins."

"Don't worry about it the twins are in good hands," assured Temari, "We found a pair they can really have fun with."

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"Ow! Damn it why do a pair of four-year-olds have such good aim?" Kankuro complained as he ducked behind the couch, "And who gave them such pointy toys? Honestly, someone could really get hurt!"

"Ya like us," Naruto agreed, taking cover next to his friend, "I thought you said babysitting was a piece of cake?!"

"It is, when the kids aren't little gremlins!"

Naruto and Kankuro – proud elite Jounin – were taking cover from airborne plastic kunai being catapulted at them by a homemade slingshot. When the twins asked to play ninjas it was the last thing they expected. Apparently the kids were very resourceful, and since Naruto and Kankuro weren't really experienced with kids they didn't know whether to hunt them down or put them on a time out.

"Wow, so you're who Temari stuck with babysitting," Naruto and Kankuro jumped when they heard Shikamaru come up behind them.

It wasn't just Shikamaru either; a few of the Jounin that grew up together were there too. That also included Lee, Neji, Sasuke, and Kiba.

Kankuro's eyebrow twitched, "How did you guys get in here?"

"The front door was open," Neji stated dryly.

"A bunch of us had the day off so we decided to come bale you out," Kiba explained.

Sasuke smirked, "Looks like you're doing a nice job dobe. Hiding from a pair of little kids like you're being cornered."

"You guys really need a few good pointers," Kiba chuckled watching Kin and Gin come out from their hiding places just to try and wrap their arms around Akamaru. "Like for instance, little kids love dogs."

"Ok, ok, the time to pick on us is over," Naruto announced, "Now come on Kankuro and I happen to know all the girls are having a slumber party, so of course we have to go spy on them do we not?"

"Sounds troublesome," Shikamaru complained.

"I said all the girls will be there, and girls always play truth or dare, which is the most entertaining thing to watch," Naruto smiled, "The twins are shutter bugs too. So who is with me?"

Surprisingly everyone joined Naruto, but that was probably because he somehow ended up treating them to supper on the way there…

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"Tenten," Cassie challenged, "Truth, dare, double dare, promise to repeat."

Tenten replied, "Truth."

"Fine be that way," Cassie stuck her tongue out playfully, "Tell me where you stashed the rest of the strawberry ice cream."

"No way you're going to eat it all!"

"That was kind of the point Tenten, but if I recall you're on truth so you have no choice."

Tenten stuck her tongue out, "It's in the freezer in the garage. What do you want?"

"Double dare," Cassie grinned.

"Oh, this is going to be good, you should let the rest of us pick it," Temari looked to Tenten with pleading eyes until she caved in and allowed her the rest of the group to choose. "What should they do?"

Sakura thought for a minute before giving a grin, "I say it should be a polar bear run across the back yard."

"In your underwear," added Ino.

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Gaara honestly didn't know what to think. He was walking by Tenten's house on his way back to the hotel when he spotted a large group of familiar young shinobi sitting in the bushes outside the living room window. "What are you guys doing?"

Kankuro waved for him to be quiet. Oddly enough he had Gin on his shoulders so she could take pictures through the window, "You're going to blow our cover."

Rolling his eyes Gaara was about to leave when Kiba – who was listening in on the conversation inside the house – announced, "Cassie and Tenten are doing a polar bear run across the back yard!"

Gaara actually dared to ask, "What is a polar bear run?"

With growing grins the boys led Gaara around the side of the house where they could clearly survey the back yard without being seen. From there they could easily see the glass door on the back porch slide open and all four out of girls walk out into the snow. The other two – Tenten and Cassie – were still inside and out of sight for a few more moments as they mentally prepared themselves.

Then they sprinted across the deep snow in the back yard, and they were wearing nothing but their bra and underwear. Gaara was suddenly seeing more of Cassie's skin than the time he spied on her after attacking her.

Both girls cried out the moment their bare feet hit the lightly snowed back porch, but the real cursing came after they jumped off into the yard where there was snow up to their knees.

Cassie grabbed Tenten and dragged them both into the nearest snow bank. "Holy hell this is so freaking cold!!"

"Hey get back here before you both get frostbite," Sakura called between outbursts of laughter.

Tenten and Cassie gratefully sprinted back across the snow buried yard and into the blankets Hinata and Temari had ready for them. All the girls then retreated back to the warmth of the house shrieking with laugher the whole way.

"Wow that was entertaining," Kankuro glanced over to his brother who was doing his best to continue looking passive after seeing Cassie half naked, "Wow Cassie was sure easy on the eyes, those loose cloths she normally wears sort of hides a lot, you really should have gotten her the lingerie. How would you rate Cassie on a scale of one to ten little brother?

Gaara instantly shot Kankuro a shut-up-or-die glare.

"Hey, hey I was just kidding Gaara, there is no reason so look so pissed off," the puppet master laughed apologetically.

"Come on, enough spying," Sasuke was getting a little tired of being dragged into something so childish. When Naruto didn't move from his spying spot by the window he gave him a small hit on the head.

"Sasuke-teme what was that for?!" Naruto complained.

"Shut up or they're going to hear you," Shikamaru warned, "and if they catch it you're the one I'm pointing the finger at Naruto."

Gaara was the last to leave the window, and he turned to follow the others after getting one last glimpse into the living room. If it hadn't been so dark outside everyone would have seen his face was turning a slight shade of red.

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"Hot chocolate is the best drink in the world," Tenten stated through chattering teeth.

"Amen," Cassie agreed as she pulled the thick blanket around her shoulders tighter. She was still cold and she was wearing long pajama bottoms, slippers, and a large sweater underneath the blanket. Cassie was really beginning to regret diving into the snow, but it was worth it to see Tenten go down with her at least.

Ino laughed and refilled Cassie's hot chocolate, "I think something that brave deserves a big bowl of strawberry ice cream!"

"Ack!" There was no way she could handle ice cream, she was already frozen, and the others found it hysterical.

Tenten shuttered as well and shook her head, "Movies. Now."

"Whatever you say," Temari was getting an absolute kick out of the situation.

Cassie watched from her chair as the others argued over what they would be watching, and during that time she happened to catch a glimpse of something out the window. She wasn't sure what she saw, but she was almost positive she saw movement and maybe even a pair of eyes looking in on them.

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**If Cassie knew Gaara saw her in her underwear she would probably just die, right? Lol, yes I am enjoying myself right now, very much so. I hope you enjoyed this slightly odd chapter – I wrote this on a whim so don't hold it against me please – and it was able to make all my readers laugh.**

**Next time: Share and share alike about each other's pasts I guess… (Obscure, yes, but did you think I'd give you a big spoiler? Lol! Not in your lifetime!)**

**Starchip13**

**Earthchik-** Gai's a little more distant than a cousin, he's actually her mother's cousin (figure that one out). Hehe, I guess I should have specified that a little, but it never came up in conversation so I had no idea how to fit it in. When I was creating her character (in my sketchbook) her hair reminded me of Gai and Lee … thus her obscure family tree thing…

**Chrosis- **I realized that Gaara's past didn't come up very much (rubs back of head nervously), and yes, like you pointed out it makes for awkward conversation. Uh, writing that would give me a headache! I'm trying to fix that small problem in the next chapter

**Empress-Dragon-** Ah, I had the hardest time figuring out what Cassie would give Gaara. I didn't want it to be something really stupid so I put off posting the Christmas chapter a day to figure it out (Gomenasai!!!)

**MiahTheStormWolf-** Thank you! Lol, I hope the next chapter helped with loosing your _Naruto: Ultimate Ninja_!! I don't know what I would do without that game, and I guess I sort of have the same compulsion with my laptop (its like an extra limb for me)

**Pinguina-** (Giggles in corner) Yes lots of smooches and cuddling, I think its adorable! Now I have to stop putting off writing that damn lemon (I have never written one before!!! Ah!!)


	27. I Was Right

**Chapter #27**

**I Was Right…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and co.**

**I FINISHED THE PICTURE!! Praise me hehe! Its my very first artwork on Photoshop so be gentle please… If you wanna see it just go to this site **

**http//www. mediaminer. org /fanart/ view. php/ 192843 (take out the spaces)**

**(My account isn't working right now) You can comment here or on where it's posted!**

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Getting up earlier than everyone else was an annoying habit, especially when Cassie had been up half the night watching movies and screwing around with her friends, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get back to sleep.

Cassie glanced around at her friends who were sleeping scattered across the living room sleeping like rocks. The couch was pulled out for Tenten and Temari to camp out on, Hinata was sprawled out across the love seat with her legs handing over the arm rest, an old matrices was laid out on the floor for Sakura and Ino to – reluctantly - share, and Cassie was curled up on the recliner that was pushed back all the way.

After about half an hour of staring blankly at the ceiling Cassie finally climbed off the chair and went to the TV to see if there was something to watch. She quickly sifted through the movies that they watched last night and behind them found a pile of old dusty tapes. The one that caught her attention first was a recorded tape with _'Chunin Exams'_ written on the cover.

'_I didn't know the Chunin exams were taped. I wonder what is on it.'_ Out of curiosity she put the video in the VCR to see what was on it. She turned down the volume very low so she wouldn't wake her sleeping friends.

The video was that of a large room. There were balconies on either side were a group of kids, no older than twelve, standing and waiting for the electronic board to choose the battle contestants.

'_Tenten told me about the third round preliminaries, this was right after all the Genin finished the second test…'_ She watched each of the matches one by one, and she had to admit they were quite fascinating. Cassie knew most of the people; she saw Temari and Kankuro fight, along with the other girls at the sleep over. But there was one battle in particular that surprised her the most.

The camera turned to the electronic board and two names were illuminated on the panel: Rock Lee and Gaara.

'_The two of them fought in their first Chunin exam?'_ Cassie watched in amazement as the two took their place in the middle of the room.

"Are you ok Cassie-chan," Cassie jumped out of her skin when she finally noticed Hinata was sitting right beside her, "You seem kind of distant."

"Oh, no I'm fine Hinata," she responded sheepishly, "Did I wake you up?"

Hinata shook her head and glanced at the TV screen. Her voice was very meek, shy, and sometimes she stuttered, "That couch wasn't very comfy … ano, m-maybe you shouldn't watch this Cassie-chan."

The fight began to play on the screen, and what a fight it turned out to be. Gaara's sand was fast, but Cassie knew Lee could go even faster. She frowned imagining how a fight between two such persistent boys would end, "Its ok Hinata. I know how things used to be with him, and I knew how … cold he used to be on the outside. But I don't think anyone ever saw who he really was; they only ever saw a demon. I don't think it was fair for someone to have to go through that kind of rejection his whole life…"

"I see," Hinata looked to be deep in thought for a moment as a light blush came to her cheeks, "I know someone like that. No one ever believed in him, and I don't know why, but the whole village seemed to hate him."

"Who?"

Hinata's face turned deeper red, "O-oh, I-I really c-couldn't s-s-say…"

"Its, ok you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Cassie nodded and stared at the TV screen again. Gaara was really quite ruthless in that battle and it made her a little sad, _'His eyes … they looked even lonelier back then. It makes me sad to think about how he was treated back then… but Gaara looks happier now. He's not so angry anymore, and he'll smile sometimes … it makes me very glad.'_

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Kankuro gave a wide yawn and stretched his stiff limbs out on the couch where he fell asleep in Alex's house. Both the twins were asleep on his stomach and Naruto had long since rolled off so he was fast asleep on the floor.

"Do you have a hangover Kankuro?" Gaara looked skeptically at his older brother, _'What ever happened to the older brother being more mature?'_

"No, the kids wouldn't go to sleep," Kankuro moaned, "Never _ever_ give four-year-olds chocolate. It turns them into demon seed…"

"Honestly, do you boys know what time it is?" Fujita shook his head as he walked down the stairs and saw the scene in the living room, "You're sleeping the day away you guys."

"How the hell can you be so chipper this early in the morning?" Naruto mumbled, continuing to be no more than a lump on the floor.

"I have a date this morning, and I don't want him to see the two of you lazing around the living room," Fujita stated before turning to Gaara, "Cassie hasn't gotten back from her little sleepover yet Gaara-sama. She's over at Tenten's, but their probably sleeping in so I wouldn't bother them."

One of Kankuro's eyes opened and looked in Fujita's direction, "Don't you mean 'her'? As in I don't want _her_ to the two of us lazing around?"

Fujita rolled his eyes, "No, I have a date, and _he _is going to be here soon."

'_Wow, didn't see that one coming,'_ Gaara only came to the house to see if Cassie was there – as well as to check and see if he brother was still alive – and he did not expect to be listening to a conversation about Fujita's sexuality. Though Gaara did find it odd that he never even noticed…

Naruto glanced up at Fujita for a moment and then closed his eyes again, "Kami, I just want to sleep. I really don't want to be talking about _this_."

"Gaara-sama," the boy twin, Kin, woke up and handed Gaara a picture, "We took the picture for Cassie, we got one for you too."

Gaara took the picture and saw it was the mistletoe picture from the Christmas Party. It was probably the only picture in which he looked happy. The very few other pictures Gaara was in he was often alone or just the sad little child among others that wouldn't acknowledge him.

Without showing it to the others he quickly placed the picture in the inside pocket of his jacket, "Arigato … I have a meeting with the Hokage, I'll be back to see Cassie later."

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After getting back from Tenten's house Cassie decided to have a nice hot shower and wind down for a while. She promised the twins she would watch a movie with them afterward so she wanted to make it as long and steamy as possible.

She slipped out of her cloths and into the hot water and just let it wash over her completely for a few moments before grabbing the shampoo.

Seeing the tape made her think of the stories she used to hear about Gaara as a child. She only heard a few, and they were vague and childish at most so she never took them seriously. She remembered how when she first moved to Suna her father would make her play with the other village children because he thought she was lonely. And she remembered what they said,

"_He's a demon! He'll crush you in a second if you go near him!"_

"_That monster has no heart, he was created to kill, and he'll murder you in cold blood if you are unlucky enough to cross his path!"_

Cassie frowned at the bathroom wall for a moment. She remembered when she would always say in response every time she was told one of the stupid stories. It was a response that made everyone laugh at her, and most of the children refused to play with her afterwards, _"How do you know that he is a monster if you've never even spoken to him? If no one ever speaks to him then I bet he's just lonely, and mom always told me to give people the benefit of the doubt…"_

'_I was right all along,'_ she mused with a small smile as her fingers ran over the coin around her neck, _'I was the only one brave enough to speak to him and he never killed me. I know he cares about me, and I care about him more and more each day…'_

When she finished washing up she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out. It wasn't long after that she realized she forgot to bring her pajamas into the bathroom with her. It was no big deal or anything because the room she was staying in was just a few doors down the hall, but she just didn't want to be caught running around in a towel.

Cassie opened the door and peered into the hallway. The twins were watching a TV show downstairs with Fujita, Gina was sleeping over at a friends, and all the adults were working so there was nothing to worry about except the cold air in the hallway.

Quickly she walked into her room and closed the door behind her so she could rummage through her suitcase for something to wear. When she found something she turned around and walked right into someone's chest. She wouldn't have fallen backward if he hadn't caught her.

"Kami," Cassie laughed, "Don't you make noise when you walk into a room Gaara?"

"No," he responded truthfully, he was a ninja after all. "You should be more careful, anyone could sneak up on you."

"Yes, but the only one that sneaks up on me is you Sabaku No Gaara," she scolded playfully. Her cheeks were slightly red again, "Will you turn around or something please? I need to change here, and don't you dare peak!"

Gaara took a step away and turned around while Cassie tossed the towel aside and put on the pajamas. He couldn't say he wasn't tempted to turn around.

Giggling Cassie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, "Who needs to keep their guard up now, huh?"

"Still you," Gaara said as he picked her up and sling her over his shoulder.

"Eep," Cassie squeaked in surprise, "Hey!"

Gaara swung her around so he was holding her bridal style again. She was so small and fragile he felt that he could almost break her if he wasn't careful; it was kind of like handling a porcelain doll.

He felt Cassie's warm fingers brush the hair away from the _Ai_ symbol on his forehead, "How was your meeting with the Hokage and elders?"

"Boring," Gaara shook his head in amusement, "I think Tsunade fell asleep at one point."

Cassie laughed and Gaara felt the urge to hold her tighter. Everything about her was perfect in his eyes. Her smile, her voice, her laugh, the way her pajamas clung to her shower damp skin … and then there was him…

"What is it?" she asked when she noticed something in his eyes for a moment.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," he assured.

"Whatever you say," she said in an I-don't-believe-you tone. "Hey, what is that box on the bed?"

Gaara turned and picked up a brightly wrapped package that was left on the bed and read the tag. '_A Belated Christmas Gift to Gaara and Cassie, from Kankuro.'_ He had a bad feeling about the gift, and he was sure he saw the logo on the box somewhere…

Cassie took the box and untied the ribbon. When she opened the box she and looked inside she seemed confused at first, and she pulled the frilly garment from the package Gaara finally remembered where he saw the logo.

"Lingerie?" her voice almost cracked when she said the word.

Without a word Gaara turned to leave.

"Where are you going, Gaara?"

"To kill my brother."

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**Hooray for snow days hehe! Otherwise you might have had to wait until the middle of the week for this chapter (gasp)! I hope you enjoyed the fiction and the art and I look forward to more reviews. Now I am off to write that lemon with the thought of school exams looming overhead… (crushed flat under pressure) exams are so evil.**

**LilPix**

**Nanotech-** Yes, Cassie is quite the girl, and she has a lot of spirit. When I started to plan out the story I decided if Gaara was going to fall in love with anyone it would be his opposite! I was watching King Kong with my sister when I wrote that chapter (she adores the movie) and I thought it would fit in perfectly so that's why it ended up in the story! As for the 'You' bit I went over the first chapters and I am already starting to fix that problem (along with those stupid spelling and grammar errors…)

**Nadakesgurl-** I was laughing so hard when I wrote that part with the polar bear run (inspired by the polar bear dip we had at school). Well, I just updated so … I hope you enjoyed!

**Seadrance-** So Sasuke-emo didn't run off (just for convenience's sake I tied him to the bed until now so he wouldn't go anywhere while he came to his senses) and I am trying to put in as many traditional pairings as possible (thus the Naru/Hina reference). As for the peeping tom thing … yes that was mostly for my own amusement, and I thought everyone else would get a kick out of it as well. Don't worry I didn't take offense to the 'bad writing' bit, I think when you write it yourself you realize it more than anyone else, I could cry over all the mistakes I found…

ALSO: Yin's mirror just reflects whatever happens to touch it and sends it back at the attacker. The whole 'black' bit was a technique she stole by using the copy effect of her mirror so she can turn things to stone at will (A little background thing that wouldn't have otherwise come up in the story…) _Question from Seadrance_

**Pinguina-** Hot chocolate is the best drink in the world (other than Pepsi). I had to think for a while to come up with the dares, the same old stuff bores me.

**Vegamarie-** I love the total cliché oh-god-were-stuck-babysitting-demon-seed thing! Plus I figured Naruto and Kankuro to be the type that would be clueless… I thought I'd give Gaara a little show since Cassie was out having fun without him just to even the score hehe!!

**xBUbULesx3o18x-** I agree that truth or dare is sadistic (I nearly got chased by a big ass dog playing it once), but I just couldn't resist letting Gaara get a good view if he was going to spy anyway!


	28. LEMON!

**Chapter #28**

**Lemon**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Oo (runs around screaming) I wrote it, I wrote it, I can't believe I actually went through with it! (Runs out of breath from screaming and faints)**

**(Pyropixie walks in and pokes Star with a stick) Yo, are you still alive? (shrugs and goes to read the story) hehe she wrote a dirty chapter!**

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Tsunade's fingers drummed her desk as she listed to the Konoha elders and their usual drawl about something or other. It was all rather boring, but so was paperwork, and she much rather be listening to memos and reports read out by the elders than have to sit for hours reading it until she was close to blindness.

The blonde Hokage glanced over at the young Kazekage seated next to her. His arrival in Konohagakure was rather unexpected and short notice, and naturally he was never really in the mood to discuss the true purpose of his visit.

She heard a few different stories from the Jounin about why he came – most of them coming from Gai, Lee, and Naruto. As far as Tsunade could tell from the endless chatter Sabaku no Gaara came to Konoha because of a girl.

After the meeting both Kage walked outside to stretch their limbs and breathe in the crisp, cool air.

"So how will you be spending you New Year's Eve Kazekage?" asked Tsunade casually.

"A few people are getting together in the hall of hotel my siblings and I are staying."

'_What a conversationalist,'_ Tsunade sighed and leaned against the doorframe.

A rather small girl with strait black hair came walking down the street with a smile on her face and a coffee in each hand, "Gaara, everyone is heading to the hotel already. We should get going."

Gaara pulled off his Kazekage's hat and nodded, "Ya, it's getting late."

'_So it's true,'_ Tsunade couldn't help but grin, "Happy New Years Kazekage."

"Happy New Years Hokage-sama," the girl piped happily enough for the both of them.

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It was the second party within a week, and New Years was possibly even more festive than Christmas. Everyone was in the big hall having a great time, and most of those old enough – and some underage – were drinking the alcohol that was being served by the hotel.

Cassie went to grab some non-alcoholic drinks from the beverage table and on the way through the lounge to get it she spotted a few of the guys sitting on the couch watching the soccer game.

Sasuke was sitting on the far end with Sakura sitting across his lap. Next to him was Naruto who had his arm playfully around Hinata – who looked about ready to faint – as he cheered at the top of his lungs. Sitting on the floor cheering were Tenten and Temari with Neji and Shikamaru, the two boys didn't seem as amused.

'_Way to go guys,'_ Cassie grinned and walked back into the other room where Gaara and Lee were talking … or rather Lee was talking.

"Drinks for everyone," she announced cheerfully and handed the boys their fruit punch.

"Thank you Cassie-chan, I was so thirsty," Lee took his drink and swallowed almost the whole thing in one gulp.

Gaara rolled his eyes and began sipping his, _'this punch tastes a little odd … what the hell did they put in it?'_

"Wow, why is the room spinning so much?" Lee's words were slurred and his cheeks turned bright red. He staggered around for a few moments before drinking the remainder of his drink and loudly declaring that he was going to go find Gai-sensei. It wasn't hard to figure out what was in the punch shortly after.

"He's drunk," Gaara literally almost laughed. It was probably the alcohol.

"Yuck, this tastes terrible," Cassie complained, but somehow she kept sipping like it was a bad habit. Her cheeks were turning slightly red as well, but no where near as bad as Lee, "Whoever made this has no idea how to make punch."

Gaara glanced at Cassie and decided it was a good time to take the cup away from her. It was a good thing she wasn't as bad as Lee when it came to alcohol, when he had a sip he was done, but her head was slightly floaty after finishing half her cup. Though her head was still clear enough to realize – after a few moments – that there was alcohol in her drink and was still able to walk strait.

"IT'S TIME TO COUNT DOWN EVERYONE!" Someone hollered over the crowd and everyone began to cheer. They all crowded into the lounge where the countdown was being broadcast live. The rowdy group began to count down enthusiastically, "TEN!"

Cassie gave Gaara's hand a gentle squeeze and she continued counting down with the rest of the group, "NINE!"

Gaara responded by pulling her in closer and placing his hand on her waist protectively so he could take advantage of her warmth.

"EIGHT! SEVEN!"

Most of the couples found each other by this point. Shikamaru actually seemed to be enjoying himself and he was counting along with Temari who was leaning against him. Neji had his arm around Tenten's shoulder, and Sakura was leaning against Sasuke. Naruto still had his arms around a tomato red Hinata as the seconds continued to wind down.

"SIX! FIVE!"

'_I don't even want to think about what life would be like without her anymore, what life used to be like … it used to be empty,'_ Gaara realized.

"FOUR!"

Whenever he glanced at her joyous face he felt happy, whenever she was close to him that empty space in his heart was filled, and whenever he kissed her he felt alive. It wasn't killing that made him feel alive anymore, it was her, being with her was like nothing else in the world.

"THREE!"

'_No one has ever made me feel so happy,'_ Cassie thought as she continued cheering, _'He's so gentle, and kind … it's a shame so few people see that side of him. It's a shame no one ever got to see him and love him the way I do.'_

"TWO!"

'_This feeling I get when she is around is stronger than anything else in the world. She's the only one I want to be around. Could it be that I…'_ He looked at her face again, _'I love her…?'_

"ONE!" Everyone at the party started throwing up bits of confetti into the air and setting off noise makers like crazy, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

Cassie leaned over to Gaara and kissed him on the cheek, "Happy New Year Gaara. I love you."

"I love you too…" those were words Gaara thought he would never say to anyone, and he didn't expect anyone to say it to him either. For Gaara it was too good to be true, she was too good to be true … please, please don't let it be a dream.

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"I hope everyone gets home alright. Quite a few people were drinking and someone did put some alcohol in the punch," Cassie talked in her usual cheerful manner as she walked down the dark icy streets of Konoha. She didn't want to stay at the hotel for the night, but Gaara wasn't about to let her walk home alone, so he was with her glancing at the New Years celebrations going on in each home.

"Eep!" In her energetic walk her boot slipped on some ice, and she would have fallen if Gaara hadn't caught her hand.

"I think maybe you're the one that's had too much to drink," pointed out Gaara.

Cassie shook her head and pouted, "No, the light headed feeling is almost gone now. I'm related to Gai, not Lee, I don't share his intolerance to alcohol. The stuff in the drink was just very strong."

"Whatever you say," his tone clearly showed he didn't take the comment seriously.

The house was dark when they arrived, no one else was home. Cassandra's family was all out celebrating somewhere else in the village so there was no need to sneak in for fear of waking anyone.

"Everyone else is likely going to have a hangover tomorrow morning," Cassie complained as they walked in the door, "Do you want something to drink Gaara?"

Gaara shook his head no. His eyes just followed her as she went to get herself a drink.

So are you planning on making her your mate or what, baka? Naturally Shukaku's bluntness got on Gaara's nerves. That and his tremendously bad timing…

'_Shut up bastard raccoon, this is none of your business.'_

Like hell, we're sharing the same body aren't we? You forget that your memories are mine as well, and I have a front row seat to this show you're putting on. All I'm asking is if you have the guts to make the next move, you know you want to…

Gaara scowled, _'I'm not listening to you. Besides, what the hell would you know?'_

Enough, Shukaku's laughter echoed in Gaara's head, I know when you see a girl in nothing but a towel and she doesn't freak out at you it means she _wants_ you, baka. And what a view, eh? She's got a pretty nice body, those legs, those hips, and don't forget the chest … don't tell me you didn't notice it, I know you did. And I know you only have so much self restraint…

In that moment Shukaku brought it upon himself to bring back vivid images of every time her body was against his, followed by the memories where he got to see more than generous amounts of skin. It had a very … interesting effect on his body. He suddenly felt very warm, extremely wrestles, and there was a slight bulge forming in the crotch of his pants.

Cassie walked out of the kitchen. That night Fujita helped her pick out an outfit for the new years party, so she was wearing a pair of nice jeans with a blouse that had both a low neckline and a slight mid drift. "Are you ok Gaara? You look a little red in the face."

'_Not good,'_ Gaara averted his eyes, but that was worse because he could clearly imagine her during the polar bear run. "I'm fine."

"I'm going to go change into some pajamas," she announced casually.

Subconsciously Gaara followed her up the stairs. All self restraint shot, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist so he could pull her close and savor the heat. He found his lips planting kisses along her delicate collar bone, and she tasted as sweet as ever.

Cassie let out a short gasp after being grabbed from behind. It felt nice the way he held her, it felt like heaven when he kissed her, and shivers went up her spine when he touched her bare skin.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear as his hand moved up and down her side.

She leaned into his touch, "I love you too…"

Gaara loved to hear her say it, partly because no one else ever had, and because he knew she returned his feelings towards her. Cassie laid her head on his shoulder when he scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he sat down with her on his lap.

**(A/N: Lemon is starting!! **

**If you don't want to read it go right to the end of the chappie!!)**

When Cassie was placed on his lap she could feel something hard against her inner thigh making butterflies fill her stomach. For a moment she paused, unsure of what she wanted, but she didn't pause for to long. Cassie loved him more than anything, she loved him so much she could burst, and she wanted to show that love to him.

Her thin fingers began undoing the buckles that strapped Gaara's gourd to his back so he could put it on the floor. Then came his shirt which was tossed carelessly aside revealing the lean but strong muscle of his shinobi body underneath. Her fingers ran gently over his chest with a small shy smile, his skin felt so much warmer than usual, and she liked the way he would close his eyes for a moment when she did.

Gaara made quick work of Cassie's blouse – tarring off some of the buttons by accident – and slid it off her shoulders. Her jeans were beside the blouse on the floor a few seconds later leaving his her underwear. He found his eyes lingering on her body, her long legs, her breasts, her hips, and every other perfect curve of her body. Gaara wanted his hands to wonder over every inch of it.

With a slight blush under his gaze Cassie unzipped his pants. Without the added fabric his growing erection became more obvious through his boxers. It made her blush a little deeper when she realized she'd never really _seen_ a man before.

Gaara found himself smirking slightly as he lifted her and pinned her to the bed. He leaned in for a kiss, and then whispered, "I've always thought you looked cute when you blushed."

His hands unclipped her bra, and then slowly slid off her underwear before discarding his boxers. There was nothing left between either of them anymore and Gaara took full advantage of it. Gaara's lips wondered to her nipple, his tongue teased it until it hardened while his hand gentle massaged the neglected breast. Cassie's soft moan and her arching back encouraged his free hand to wonder even lower.

"Gaara…" Cassie gave a short gasp but she couldn't manage much else. Gasping Cassie's hand clawed at the bed sheet. His fingered slipped between her folds and played with her clit sending sensations throughout her body. She bit her lip as his fingers slipped toward her center and slipped in and out slowly, the sensation strengthened when he added more fingers. Heat and moisture began gathering in her abdomen.

Gaara looked up with his lips curled in a small smirk. Cassie took the chance to capture his lips, "It's my turn…"

After seeing enough of the Hentai magazines Kankuro graciously left around Gaara's house she a … vague idea of what men liked. So she suppressed her butterflies and caressed his hardened member. Then she lowered her lips to his head and ran her tongue across it before placing it in her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the head of his penis and her warm lips began gliding up and down the skin smoothly.

It was Gaara's turn to be caught off guard as small groan built up in Gaara's chest. He hadn't expected Cassie to be that bold, but he was glad she was. As her mouth continued to work his cock, and he felt his release coming soon, "Cassie … I'm going to…"

Cassie felt him stiffen inside her mouth as he came. Warm fluid poured into her mouth, it tasted a bit bitter, but she ignored it and swallowed anyway before running her tongue over him again to lick up the rest. She almost couldn't believe she's actually done it when she finished.

"Kankuro's hentai?" asked Gaara's whose voice cracked slightly.

Blushing again she nodded.

"Remind me to thank him later." That was a phrase Gaara never thought he'd use when referring to Kankuro.

His arms wrapped around her again and she was once again pinned underneath him against his chest. His manhood was pressed up against her moist folds, brushing her clit, and adding to the heat that gathered there.

For a brief second Gaara looked Cassie in the eye for some kind of approval, and she responded with a rushed nod. She felt like she was going to burst, she wanted him inside her, and that feeling pushed all doubt or fear out of her mind. Cassie trusted Gaara completely.

Gaara's length slid inside of her, breaking her maiden's barrier quickly, and Cassie's eyes widened in a half gasp. Gaara froze for a moment thinking he was hurting her.

"I'm fine, I just need a moment," reassured Cassie. She only needed that long to adjust to him inside of her, and when she had she could feel him slowly being to pull out again. When he came back inside her again there was far less pain, and a soft moan escaped her lips. Soon there wasn't any pain left, there was only pleasure, and the feeling growing intense and hot inside her.

Cassie's back arched to meet his thrusts, and started to drive faster and faster. Her muscles clamped around him as she drew ever closer to her climax, and then with one hard thrust she came at the same time he did. Cassie yelled Gaara's name loudly as the force of her orgasm made her head spin; it was a floaty feeling, like she was on air.

Pulling out of her, Gaara laid down next to her on the bed.

**(End of Lemon!)**

Cassie snuggled up close to his chest and pulled the covers over both of them.

"Can you stay a while? Just until I fall asleep?" she asked weakly.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving."

Cassie begun to fall asleep with her head lying on his bare chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat made her eyelids grow heavy. She felt just a little guilty that she would just fall asleep when he couldn't, so placed her hand in his and whispered, "…I love you…"

'_I love it when she says that,'_ that smile of Gaara's returned and he began running his fingers through her hair affectionately, "I love you too."

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**So what do you think? Cheesy? Corny? Fluffy? Lame? Be gentle this was my very first lemon _ever_ so … ya just don't hate me if it wasn't any good! I don't have my next exam until Wednesday, and I finally finished those pesky last minute assignments, so if I get some good inspiration to write then it shouldn't be to long a wait until the next chapter!**

**I have 218 REVIEWS!!! (resumes fainting)**

**Starchip13 **

**CheshireMax-** Glad you enjoy my story. I put the warnings around the dirty parts for you (and all those other underage people such as, well, me) so I won't be corrupting young minds! (weeps) It's too late for me … I've already been corrupted!!

**Earthchik-** Damn exams… Ya I am having exams starting this week. I have 4 classes each semester, but lucky for me only one of the classes has an exam this time! Next semester's exams are just before summer, and all of my classes have exams then! (bummer…)

**Nanotech-** Oo they are so freaking cold! We had a polar bear dip at our school (it's where I got the idea) and people were jumping into a pool filled with snow! I'm thinking about signing up next year, hehe!

**HanyouKenmei-** (laughs nervously) Yes lemons are good things … not that I read them (walks away with Kakashi's book behind her back)

**Xbubblesx3o18x-** I used neither … well, I did it on my laptop so I have that little mouse pad thingamajig and I was to cheep to buy a laptop mouse (hehe). Uh, I know what you mean about Photoshop Elements … I have nightmares about that program (damn elements and its serious lack of pen tools!)

**Pinguina- **Eh, my grammar is terrible, so I wouldn't say I'm overly educated (I feel like a moron with such little good vocabulary!) I was thinking about maybe drawing Cassie in the lingerie next … hehe I giggle thinking about it!

**Kisasohmacookie-** Yes, Kankuro is predictable

**RachelPark-** I laughed too … it made it difficult to write…

**MiahTheStormWolf-** (Shrugs) Hey it was my first time, I have forever to improve don't I? (I _hate_ doing backgrounds) Thanks for the comment. I'm getting some tutorials from a friend soon so I will be messing around with the style a bit for next time. (Runs off looking determined)


	29. The Morning After

**Chapter #29**

**The Morning After**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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It wasn't long before Cassie's breathing slowed to signal she was finally asleep. She'd been fighting sleep for quite some time, she kept muttering something about wanting to stay up with Gaara, and some other stuff that he couldn't make out that probably wouldn't have made sense anyway.

Gaara looked around the dimly lit room as he lay completely awake, and he was able to see the thick layers of sand that attached itself to the walls slowly make its way back to his gourd. Gaara hadn't commanded his sand at all that day, and he sure as hell didn't order it to seal the room while he was with Cassie.

I would have thought the reason was obvious, Shukaku almost sounded like he was bragging, the sand protects you even if you don't command it to. It also makes sure nothing happens should you try and pass on your … unique blood line.

'_You just can't help yourself can you,'_ Gaara rolled his eyes.

What, did I interrupt something private?

What a situation in which to be sharing a body with a bastard demon.

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Kankuro, Temari, and Tenten knocked on the door of the house that morning shortly after breakfast. Fujita was the one to answer the door – cheerfully as usual – and invite the three of them inside out of the cold.

"Did the three of you enjoy your New Years?" he asked casually.

"Very much, thank you," Temari smiled, and Tenten nodded in agreement.

"I'd enjoy it much more if I didn't have a goddamn headache," Kankuro grumbled as he walked in and collapsed on the couch.

Fujita cocked an eyebrow, "Hangover."

"As much as he doesn't want to admit it, yes he has a hangover," Temari shook her head at her older brother, and then turned back to Fujita, "Is Cassie-chan awake yet? A bunch of us girls were going to go for one last brunch before we head back to Suna tomorrow, and you have seen Gaara at all since last night? He just up and disappeared after taking Cassie home, and I'm pretty sure he's already late for another meeting with Tsunade-sama."

"Well, Cassie is still asleep upstairs in the spare room, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of Gaara-sama," Fujita shrugged. "Did you want me to go check and see if Cassie's awake yet?"

Tenten shook her head, "Don't worry about it we'll go get her. You know she's the last person I'd expect to sleep in."

The Kunoichi headed up the stairs to the spare room where Cassie was sleeping and knocked on the door, "Hey Cassie, you awake?!"

On the other side of the door inside the room Cassie was – or at least had been until she was disturbed – sleeping soundly and blissfully. When the knocking came at her door and Gaara quietly got out of bed she groaned and rolled over in bed. With his added warmth gone she had to pull the blankets tighter around her, still very naked, body.

Gaara walked quickly around the room trying to find all the articles of clothing that were scattered around. He managed to find most of it quickly and slip back into them, but he didn't want to take to long searching or else – knowing them – Temari and Tenten would just walk in.

"I can't find my shirt," Gaara growled.

A very tired Cassie finally found the strength to get up out of bed and quickly put on one of her long pajama shirts and pants, "Well it can't have gone far."

"I don't have time to look for it, I'm already late for a meeting," he proceeded to simply buckle the straps for his gourd on without a shirt and head for the window. Though, even Gaara wasn't impervious to the cold, so the metal of the buckles didn't exactly feel pleasant, and neither did the -17 degrees Celsius weather outside the window. Goosebumps plagued his skin the moment the window opened, but as per usual he refused to show it on his face.

Cassie gave a disapproving glance and whispered, "You're going to freeze."

The Kazekage responded with a short kiss to silence to protests, and with that he disappeared out the window in a gust of sand.

"Are you in a coma or what, Cassie?" Tenten called from the other side of the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Cassie replied with a yawn. On her way to the door she noticed Gaara's black shirt sitting behind the stuff sitting on the dresser. With a small giggle – and imagining Gaara in the snow without a shirt on – she chucked it under the bed.

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The late brunch ended up being a little club/coffee shop kind of place. The lighting was cool, there were a few pool tables in the back, and up near the front were circles of black leather chairs where people could sit comfortably while enjoying their drinks (coffee and tea in the morning, alcohol served at night). It was popular with teenagers of Konoha, and one of the few places actually open on New Years Day.

"So who has New Years resolutions they wanna share?" asked Tenten between sips of coffee.

"I bet Hinata's has something to do with Naruto," Sakura grinned.

Hinata began turning red and pushing her fingers together in an attempt to avoid everyone's eyes. It was pretty obvious by the tiniest of smiles on her lips that Sakura hit the nail on the head.

"I think they make an adorable couple," Cassie commented and gave Hinata a small nudge, "I say go for it. He's clueless, but we all love him for it."

"So then what are you going to be up to this year, Cassie-chan?" teased Temari, "Would it happen to involve my brother?"

'_You have no idea…'_ Cassie laughed, "Well kind of, I really want to start training a little more this year, so I won't be so much of a burden. I really let my skills slip since I was a Kunoichi."

Temari shook her head, "You're not a burden. I actually think Gaara enjoys saving you because then he gets you carry you, and he gets plenty of hugs and kisses."

"They're quite the odd pair," remarked Ino, "I don't think I've ever seen a pair so complete opposite. I mean, Cassie is just so bubbly, and then Gaara is a little … uh, cold I guess you could call it. It's the same thing with Hinata too I think. Hinata is just so shy and timid, and Naruto is – well – Naruto is just Naruto. I guess people like their opposites in this group don't they?"

Now Cassie was blushing right along side Hinata. Two dark haired girls staring at their feet and resembling tomatoes, now that was an amusing sight for everyone to behold. The other girls tried their best not to giggle at the pair of them, but it was a hard thing to accomplish.

Rubbing the back of her Cassie started laughing too, "Well you know that really cliché saying about being complete when you're with someone you love? You're other half isn't the same as you, it's the piece that's missing, and that piece can be completely different from you. Besides can you really picture yourself with someone that just exactly like you? I think that would be creepy…"

All six girls thought for a minute, just imagining meeting their male counterparts, and they all looked slightly disturbed. They all agreed that would be something they would never want to know.

Ino poked Cassie in the side, "So what did you and Gaara do last night when he walked you home? Did you make out or just sleep with him?"

Tea burst out from Cassie's mouth while she was in mid sip and she began coughing. It took a few minutes of trying to clear the fluid out of her lungs before she could choke out, "Damn, he walks me home and _that_ is the first thing you assume?!"

'_Ok, maybe she hit the nail on the head there, but that's not the point! The point is that it was the first thing that came to her mind … and she isn't even the one that had to see Kankuro's Hentai all over the coffee table the one time…'_ Cassie tried her best to look both innocent and stunned at the same time, though she wasn't sure how good a job she was doing. Ino was still giving her an odd look.

"That was kind of a joke," Ino attempted to keep a strait face but just couldn't do it so she ended up with an odd little cracked smirk, "Don't tell me you've never thought about it though."

Cassie picked up one of the little sugar packets and chucked it in Ino's general direction, "Can we change the subject now please? Why the hell are we poking fun at me when I saw each of you flirting shamelessly at the party? I do believe I saw Ino being rather friendly with Chouji while we were there if you want to talk about that. Now _that_ is being in love with your opposite."

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Thank god that the Kazekage robes covered everything and were as thick as nothing else because Gaara was nearly numb by the time he got to the Hokage's tower where he put them for safe keeping.

When he arrived Tsunade was fast asleep on a pile of documents – likely from a hangover – and didn't look likely to wake up for quite some time despite the fact that Shizune was scolding her. He'd never known a Kage that needed to be scolded, but then again he'd never known a Kage with a nickname like _sucker_ either. Tsunade was one of a kind alright.

"I'm sorry about this Gaara-sama, and you're going to be leaving tomorrow too right?" asked Shizune sheepishly.

Gaara nodded, "Yes, we're leaving very early tomorrow."

"Well, just to make sure nothing unfortunate happens like on your way here I'll send some Jounin with you. I think Sakura, and Neji aren't getting any assignments for a little while, I'll call them in for the mission later today." Shizune informed him.

"That will be fine."

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**This was more or less an 'in between' chapter so not much really happened in it, but you'll like the next one that's for sure. Until then continue with all the fantastic reviews and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible.**

**Starchip13**

I don't have time to reply to reviews today so I will just say a collective thanks to all who did review:

_Spiritookami, Empress-Dragon, TheNorwegianDragon, MiahTheStormWolf, EyesLikeIce, HanyouKenmei, WhiteAlchemistTaya, WindKunoichi, xbubblesx3o18x, Vegamarie, NekoGuyFan, Avidreader101, Seadrance, Nanotech, Chrosis, and everyone else (you know who you are!!!) _

Thanks everyone!!


	30. Disappear

**Chapter #30**

**Disappear**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Runs out dancing) Exams are OVER!! Teehee, this is a celebration for me mostly because I just finished my final exam this morning. You'll notice I kind of breeze through the traveling home, and there is a good reason for that, nothing really happens! **

**Lol ENJOY THE CHAPPIE! **

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It was either freezing cold snow or the dry heat of the desert. Where was the happy medium? It was not like she could travel down to Konoha during the summer or spring when everything was green, it was always the Christmas holidays, but somehow she didn't mind. Even though she rarely ever saw green anymore she found herself content, so when they finally reached Sunagakure again after three days of traveling she didn't feel like she was missing much more than a heavy coat.

Sakura was good company to have on a trip so Cassie and Temari always had someone to talk to when Gina was being antisocial. As for Neji, well, his disposition was similar to Gaara's so he didn't really talk all that much. He even crossed his arms over his chest the same way Gaara did, and every time the girls saw them do it side by side they would break down into fits of giggles.

And just when they were getting sick to death of traveling they finally reached the gates of Sunagakure. The group reached the Iwate home and decided to relax for a little while there.

Hale grabbed the extra chairs while Cassie prepared tea and coffee for everyone. It was casual and a social little gathering, and extremely tiring in the end because they arrived home late in the first place.

Cassie's eyes burned slightly with fatigue as she waved off the guests and cleaned up all the cups and plates. In the end she was the last one to get ready for bed and go to sleep. It didn't even matter that Gina already started snoring because she was asleep before she hit the matrices. Going to Konoha and everywhere else was fun and all, but it would be nice to get back into routine again.

"We have late shift at the shelter tomorrow," Gina yawned as she curled up under her blankets. Thankfully, they were both to tired to get on each other's nerves … much.

"And it's your turn to feed the animals tomorrow too," reminded Cassie.

Gina cringed, she hated going into the back store room to get food, partly because she didn't have the muscle to carry the big bags of dog food. Gina was doom to spend the rest of her life in reception while Cassie did all the grunt work.

It didn't matter that Gina was snoring loud as ever that night because Cassie was asleep upon hitting her matrices. She wasn't even awake to see Gaara slip in to wish her a good night before slipping back out the window again.

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_**Hospitals always made Cassandra anxious, and it was even worse in the wing where her mother was staying. In most other places in the hospital the beds were filled with recovering patients and those going into surgery, but that wasn't the case in the rooms surrounding her mother's. These beds were filled with people that were only waiting for death, those poor souls who couldn't be healed, the ones hidden behind a sea of beeping machines and vein like IV tubes. **_

_**Cassandra's large green eyes were focused squarely ahead of her so she wouldn't look in the people wasting away in their beds and feel the sadness build in her heart. People like her own mother.**_

_**Finally finding the room the receptionist directed her to Cassie paused and tightened her grip on the flower she bought at the shop. She was beginning to regret coming on her own, but she had to see her mother again even if she had to sneak out to do it. Cassie wasn't as naive as she seemed, she full well understood what cancer was, and she knew every time her father picked up another shot glass it meant her mother's condition was deteriorating.**_

_**She pushed open the door and walked inside the small room. If she didn't know any better Cassie would have though she'd walked into the wrong room. Behind the sea of tubes, machines, and other bizarre instruments was a woman she barely even recognized. **_

_**Iwate Rita' s skin was as white as the bed sheets, her hair – which would have otherwise have been midnight black – was gone due to the chemo, and she lost a dangerous amount of weight. There was barely anything left, just skin over bone, and sunken in features that made her mothers face more like a bare skull.**_

'_**Mom,' Cassandra's eyes glistened with the threat of tears, but she just bit her lip and stepped forward so she was standing near the edge of the bed.**_

_**Rita's eyes lazily moved from gazing out the window – that had the shades closed anyway – to Cassie. Her voice wasn't even the same, it was like a throaty whisper when she spoke, "Hand me my glasses, please."**_

"_**Hai," Cassie grabbed her mother's glasses from the beside table and carefully placed them on her thin nose. **_

_**Behind the lenses of her glasses Rita's eyes looked larger, kind of like they used to look, but there was no mistaking the lack of sleep. "And who might you be?"**_

'_**What?' for a moment Cassie wasn't sure if it was a serious question, "Cassandra, Iwate Cassandra…"**_

"_**What a lovely name, I always said that if I ever had a girl that was what I would name her," Rita's voice sounded about as cheery as it could, given the circumstances anyway, "Are you one of those cute little volunteers that come in to see me?"**_

'_**S-she doesn't remember me…?' Cassie remembered her father saying something about all the chemo and pain killers doing something to her mind, but could it actually make her forget her own child? "Do you recognize me at all?"**_

"_**I'm afraid not. Should I?" asked Rita innocently.**_

'_**Would she even believe me if I told her I'm her own daughter?' Her grip threatened to snap the flower she bought in half, "I volunteered here before, I-I delivered your flower last week. Don't you remember?"**_

"_**I don't remember even getting a flower before, I'm very sorry."**_

"_**It's no problem, I'll just leave this here for you," Cassie couldn't even bring herself to take her eyes of the floor. She almost felt ashamed of herself, she felt like a coward, and she couldn't bring herself to look at her mother.**_

_**As Cassie left the monitor on her mother's heartbeat started to beep rapidly. Half a dozen medics and nurses must have shoved passed her to fix whatever had gone wrong. She was tempted to turn around and take one last look, but her heart already felt like it shattered inside her chest.**_

"_**I'm sorry Mom," she whimpered.**_

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Cassie shot up in bed, clawing angrily at the air, but she didn't make anything more than a pitiful whimpering noise. She felt sad, she felt frustrated, and she felt _angry_. She felt so angry at herself very well remembering that was the last time she ever saw her mother. She felt angry at herself for being so pathetic as to be hiding in a closest because of a stupid thunderstorm the night she died. Then the fact that she was suddenly so angry made her frustrated again.

'_It was just a dream, why am I getting so worked up over a goddamn dream? This has happened almost every night since that kid touched me. She brought back the memory like I was reliving it.'_ Her heartbeat was thudding in her ears making them ring painfully, _'I need something or this is going to give me a migraine.'_

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the doors – not even bothering to quiet her footsteps. The only ones she disturbed with her footsteps were her dogs that always slept just outside her door. They followed her down to the kitchen and watched Cassie as she swallowed a painkiller.

Cassie scratched Kobi and Cori behind their ears and forced a laugh, "Don't worry about me guys. I'm just fine. I just hope this waking up in the middle of the night thing doesn't become a habit, its tiresome, and I'm going to have rings around my eyes like Gaara if it keeps up aren't I?"

Cori snuggled her head against Cassie's leg while Kobi trotted off into the living room. He started clawing at the back door and growling again.

"Is Gaara out there Kobi?" for some reason Cassie had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it aside thinking that it was just the side effect of getting worked up over her dream. She followed her dog into the living room without a second though about it and looked out the back window to see what Kobi was getting so worked up about.

At first she didn't see anything, but her eyes caught movement outside after a few moments.

'_It's not Gaara, I sense someone else's chakra,'_ were her thoughts just before an oddly sudden drowsiness set in. Her temples throbbed like her brain was trying to hammer its way out from the inside.

If anyone other than the dogs hand been there they wouldn't have seen her arms drop limply to her sides. They would have seen her eyes look almost clouded over, and her walk was lethargic, like she was sleepwalking.

"Stay," she ordered her dogs softly as she opened the back door and stepped outside without even bothering with her shoes.

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Bright and early Gaara was already busy sorting through missions and sifting through endless paperwork that accumulated in his absence. He was almost starting to miss running around in the cold to see Cassie, at least it was a lot more fun that being stuck behind a mountain of scrolls.

Afterwards he would have to deal with the elders, and then he would start handing out the missions to the shinobi. He'd be lucky if he got finished his work by that night. It was going to be tough since he already found himself zoning out. Whatever Tsunade did was contagious.

Hale walked in, giving a tired knock on the door, "I'm here for my assignments."

Ever since getting back Hale more or less accepted the fact that Gaara and Cassie were, undoubtedly, a couple. But just because he had to accept the fact didn't mean he really had to like it, in fact the only thing he did the only thing he liked was that Cassie was happy. Other than that all Hale was doing was somehow being civil and stubborn as a mule at the same time. But what else could be expected from him? Except for the fact that Hale wasn't perverted, Gaara actually found Hale reminded him of his own older brother, not that he though of him in such friendly terms.

Gaara pulled out the correct mission scrolls and handed them over to the Chunin, "You've got a lot to do this week."

"I can see that," Hale looked at how thick his mission scrolls were with a sigh before pocketing them. "I'll be back as soon as they're finished."

"Hm," dully responded Gaara as he went right back into paperwork mode.

"Oh hey, since I'm going to be busy for the next little while, could you tell Cassie that her sneaking out to go to your house at all hours of the night is getting to be a pain." Hale grumbled, "I spent ten minutes this morning telling her bedroom door to get ready for work before I realized she wasn't in there."

Gaara arched a not existent eyebrow, "She wasn't with me last night. I've been here since I left your house."

Hale – who'd been heading to the door at the time – paused for a moment, "Would she be with Temari then?"

The Kazekage shook his head, "Temari and Kankuro are both on early morning missions before seeing Neji and Sakura off in about an hour."

"Well, she didn't just disappear," snapped Hale, "Cassie doesn't just get up and go somewhere without letting _someone_ know where she is."

'_He's right,'_ they both knew Cassie was one of the closest things to a goody-goody you could find. If she wasn't with Gaara she was at work or home, and at home she was still in the habit of leaving notes for her family.

"I might not get to these missions until later," announced Hale abruptly, "I'm going to go find out where Cassie went. If I don't I won't be able to concentrate."

'_Something seems off,'_ Gaara pulled off his Kazekage hat as she stood up, "I'm coming with you."

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**Oo cliffie!!! Where did Cassie go?! Hehe, only I know the answer to that so you'll just have to review and wait for the next chappie! (runs and hides from angry reviewers) Next chappie will be longer, don't worry!**

**Hooray for 251 reviews!!!**

**Starchip13**

**Replies to my lovely reviewers:**

**TheStarsDarkness-** I just updated, be happy, and leave another review please!!!

**Pinguina-** Its not going to end so soon, I still have a lot to get through with this, so I'm kind of hoping for somewhere in the area of 40 chapters. (types insanely muttering something about cupcakes and cold weather)

**HieiFan666-** (Giggles madly in the corner) you aren't getting any spoilers from me, but I can say these later chapters will make everyone do the fangirl-scream-o-delight!!

**Ttwist-** Thanks for the review, hope you liked the chappie!

**Gaara'sPyroRACCOON- **I couldn't stop giggling when I wrote that lemon, but then again I'm usually giggling so that makes you wonder about my sanity…

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** Oo you're writing a lemon too? Me read! Me read! Then we can giggle together at our perverted-ness!

**Seadrance-** The New Years thing was planned, you're just good at predicting the future (shush my psychic person don't spoil the ending now) which I find happens with a few people. Am I being too predictable or something? (Whimpers)

**Vegamarie-** Filler chapters are also great for bullshitting my way into more time to write the good stuff. I have to keep you guys entertained while I slave away at my keyboard you know!

**Empress-Dragon-** I couldn't resist with the shirt thing! I needed to add something cute! (_Gaara:_ Bullshit, you just wanted to see me without a shirt on! _Star:_ …ok maybe, but you have a Smexy body! I want some too! Cassie has to share!!)

_And thank you to all those who read, but didn't review: Don't be shy people! I am kind!!_


	31. Unwilling to be Found

**Chapter #31**

**Unwilling to be Found**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Teehee (happy dance) so many reviews, so many reviews, and so little time… Here is the next chapter everyone!**

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'_How many places are there for someone to hide in this village?'_ Gaara cursed as he leapt over the rooftops, his sea foam eyes scanning the area, but there was no sign of her. He'd been searching for over an hour at that point, and with his speed that was plenty of time to comb his way through the streets. He'd checked all the obvious places and then some, but there was no sign of her.

It was no good, if he was going to find her in such a big area Gaara would need some help. So he headed back to the Kazekage tower where his siblings, Sakura, and Neji were waiting.

"Have any of you seen Cassie?" the stress in Gaara's voice was apparent. "Have any of your heard from her at all?"

The four of them exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

"Kankuro and I have been on missions, Neji and Sakura were with us," Temari answered.

"Why are you looking for her?" asked Sakura.

Gaara cursed, and without realizing it he began pacing around the room, "Hale came into my office this morning and told me Cassie has been missing since some time last night. I've already been back and forth across this village over the past hour and I haven't been able to find her."

"You're positive you're not just being paranoid?" said Kankuro. "You can't expect to know where she is every moment of every day. You probably just missed her, bro. Tell you what, we'll help you look for her, I bet she just got a little side tracked heading to work or something."

Neji nodded, "I agree, you could be worrying over nothing."

"I hope you're right," muttered Gaara, _'but something still doesn't feel right…'_

"Sakura and I will go check at her work. She might have just come in late." Temari motioned for Sakura to follow her.

Kankuro turned to leave as well, "I'll go double check at the house."

"I'll help you search the city again," offered Neji, "with my eyes it will take much less time. She has to be somewhere in this village, and we're going to find her.

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'_**Why is it so cold here?' Cassie slowly came to in a dark place where she couldn't see a thing. Her fingers had long since gone numb and her slightly blue skin was covered in gooseflesh.**_

_**She groaned as she got to her feet. Not only were here muscles stiff from the cold but it was almost impossible to breathe, "What is this place…?"**_

_**There was no answer, she was alone, standing in a cold world filled with nothing but darkness. The air was heavy there, or she was just short of breath, she couldn't tell, her short gasps were like trying to breathe in acid.**_

_**But off in the distance there was something, or rather someone. It was a tall figure of a woman facing away from her with long platinum blue silver hair that seemed to be the only source of light in the desolate place. She walked slowly away with the grace of an angel, threatening to leave Cassie alone in darkness.**_

"_**Hello?! P-please wait for me!" Cassie managed to croak out.**_

_**The woman just kept walking like she didn't even hear her, so Cassie stumbled after her. Each of her limbs felt like dead weight, but somehow she managed to catch up with her and grab on to her thin wrist.**_

"_**Please … tell me where I am, please?" Cassie begged.**_

_**The silver haired woman spun around, and Cassie let out a small scream. The woman had no face. Her face was nothing but a layer of silver skin pulled tightly over her skull. **_

_**The woman's skeleton like icy fingers gripped around Cassie's wrists. She didn't speak because she had no lips, but her voice still carried in the heavy air, "I've been very eager to meet you Iwate-san. I longed to see the face of the girl who was able to get in the way of my puppets, and the one who led to the destruction of my containment jar. You've giving me quite a bit of grief, Iwate-san. I never would have thought that someone like you could have outsmarted Yin and Yang, they're connected to me after all, but it just goes to show how useless puppets can be…"**_

'_**Containment jar … does she mean that jar that Gaara shattered on the way to Konoha?' Cassie tugged uselessly against the woman's grip, "Who the hell are you?!"**_

"_**My name is Faceless," her voice replied evenly, "Welcome to my world Iwate-san."**_

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Neji's eyes scanned the area around them picking up any possible movement. He'd spotted everything from children to house pets within the line of vision of his Bayakugan, but no Miss Iwate Cassandra. Even the Hyuga prodigy was beginning to wonder what was going on. Even if he was not using his advanced blood line he would have thought _someone_ would have found her. How hard was it to find one sixteen-year-old girl anyway?

On top of that Gaara was unusually tense, which was making Neji tense as well. The Kazekage was known for being reserved and virtually emotionless, but somehow the disappearance of Cassie turned him into someone ready to lash out at any moment. Somehow Neji could understand, he wasn't sure how he would act if Tenten disappeared, though he could wager a guess that his rationality would drop below zero. Its funny how loosing the one thing that was precious to you can make a person act so different and do stupid things.

A pink haired blur dashed up beside them, "We asked Gina and Fukui-san if they'd seen her, but they said she never showed up for work. Fukui-san said he'd close up early to help look, but I told him not to worry. But of course I thought you two would have found her by now."

Temari came bounding up next, "I thought Neji could see anything? Haven't the two of you gone back and forth across Suna already? It's been hours…"

"I'm not seeing anything but sand," Neji growled. "Kankuro's on his way."

Sure enough it wasn't a few seconds later Kankuro caught up with them. The puppet master was cursing like a pirate, "Daichi is pissed. It's been hours, he hasn't seen his daughter since last night, and he was in a kitchen filled with endless weapon possibilities. Why is it me that gets attacked all the time, huh? Where the hell is all the bad karma coming from?!"

A tense silence fell on the group. By now no one could deny something was going on, and whatever attitude Gaara had was getting contagious.

"We split up," ordered Gaara, "if you don't find her within another hour we meet up again. We're going to find her."

With a unanimous nod they split up, and Gaara picked up speed, _'Please, let this just be a misunderstanding, don't let anything have happened to her.'_

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_**Run. That was all she could do, but with nowhere to run to Cassie felt like she was running around in circles. Her lungs and her sides were on fire so there was no way she could keep running away for ever. **_

"_**Such a stubborn girl," Faceless appeared right in front of Cassie forcing her to grind to a halt. "But I have to admit I'm impressed. A girl with such little formal training has been able to stay awake for so long."**_

'_**Damn it.' Her chest was struggling to keep up with the demand for air, and her head was beginning to spin. How long could Cassie keep running in a place that was draining all the energy out of her? She would certainly find out sooner or later, but for now she wasn't going to stop running.**_

"_**Its painless I assure you, Iwate-san." The silver haired woman continued to show up in Cassie's path everywhere she went. "You see, I'm a wondering spirit I can't survive without a body, and I only seek out the strongest. You're not the intended target, but outside my container I can't last very long, and you're the only one to have made physical contact with my puppets. It's actually quite convenient that I could end up inside the mind of someone close to my new vessel."**_

"_**Leave me alone!" Hollered Cassie, "Whatever you want, I'm NOT giving you!"**_

_**Faceless just chuckled softly, "When I take over a body, the occupant inside it simply goes into a deep sleep. You're still fighting it, but soon you'll grow tired, and I'll be allowed to take over basic motor functions. If I'm in control long enough we'll become one, you're thoughts and feelings become my own, and vise versa. I'll transfer my soul into my new body, and you'll come with me."**_

'_**Intended target … new body … she doesn't mean…' Anger rose in her chest, "I'll never let you anywhere near Gaara."**_

"_**Now that I occupy you're body it's inevitable, I'll eventually control your body, I can assure you that. If you keep struggling like this your spirit will break, and you will simply cease to exist. But if you simply let go you'll be reunited with the man you love inside my mind," Faceless's finger gently tapped Cassie's sweat covered forehead, sending small waves of numbness throughout her body.**_

"_**Go. To. Hell!" Summoning all the chakra in her body Cassie thrust her fist at Faceless's face – or lack there of. "I'd rather cease to exist than let you ever touch him!"**_

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Darkness was beginning to fall over the village and things were getting a little more frantic. Cassie was still nowhere to be found.

Kobi walked down the street with his back hunched high and all his fur standing on end. The dog still despised Gaara, or at least what was inside him, but he lived and died to serve his master so even he – a dog – was willing to put his own person distain aside for Cassie. That's why he followed Gaara's scent while his sister went to seek out Cassandra. It may have taken him most of the day to try and track down the Shukaku boy, but persistence pays off in the end, and Kobi was nothing if not persistent.

Gaara was searching with Neji again when spotted the snarling dog as he neared the outskirts of town. He was about to ignore the animal and keep searching but it seemed set on following him.

"What do you want?" demanded Gaara. He didn't think there was much point considering he was talking to a dog.

Neji cocked an eyebrow, "You know the dog?"

"He belongs to Cassie," Gaara grunted.

The blonde dog curled around tensely, glancing down in the direction he wanted to go, and growling in impatience.

'_The dog wants me to follow him … so that means he knows where she is.'_ Gaara smirked, "So you finally have a use, stupid dog."

Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Gaara followed after Cassie's dog. He was a lot slower than Gaara – who was anxious to find her – and Kobi would stop at every corner to sniff around for the direction he was looking for. It was a struggle for Gaara to keep his patience with the animal, and Kobi seemed to think likewise because he would snarl every time Gaara's sand picked up. It's always a bad combination putting two stubborn beings together, even if they are completely different species.

"How much further?" asked Gaara in an irritated growl.

"I think I see her, another couple yards forward … it's odd though," Neji muttered under his breath, "I can almost see Cassie's presence, but it's like its being overshadowed by something. It must be why I didn't see her before…"

Gaara snarled and quickened his pace, "So then someone's with her."

'_This is bad,'_ Neji grudgingly followed, but still didn't have a good feeling about the second presence. Whoever it was had to have massive chakra control to trick his Bayakugan into glancing over Cassandra's familiar chakra – she was a relative of Gai's so he became quite acquainted over the years.

"…Get away from me … get away … get away…" The two men turned onto the next street and saw a familiar dark haired figure stumbling away. They couldn't see her face because she was walking away from them, but there were lots of cuts and bruises along her arms and covering her bare feet. Even from a distance she was visibly trembling and her footing was uneasy. Cori being beside her for support was the only thing that stopped her from falling over.

"Cassie…" Gaara whispered under his breath in concern, _'Neji said there was a second presence here, I feel it too, but no one else is here. And those scrapes … judging by the way she's walking my guess would be that they're probably from stumbling… What the hell is going on?'_

Her thin body gave a distinct shiver before she screamed, "Go. To. Hell!"

Gaara leapt forward and landed in front of the screaming girl. He'd never heard her actually scream like her life depended on it, and boy did she ever have a set of lungs on her. She thrashed around so badly she tripped over herself and started kicking and punching at the ground. Thus explaining the many self-inflicting injuries.

The red headed Kazekage stepped forward to grab her and prevent her from hurting herself but she drew back sharply, still screaming and kicking.

"Get away! Don't touch me!" Cassie said shrilly. For the first time her messy hair parted so Gaara could see her face. Cassie's skin was pale and covered in sweat, her skin was covered in goosebumps, her lips were a light shade of blue, and her eyes were open wider than humanly possible. He'd seen the expression before in people who he killed with his sand when he was young.

Pausing Gaara wasn't sure what to do. Those of hers made a sharp pain rise deep in his chest, just like when Yang impersonated her in the forest.

With a short cut off yelp Cassie buried her face in her hands and started yelling again, "I won't let you near him! I won't let you touch him! I _will not_ let you hurt him!!"

'_But her eyes are looking past me,'_ Gaara thought as he noticed the far off look in her glassy eyes, _'it's a sign of hallucination, or is it that she's seeing something that I'm not?'_

"There's some sort of seal on her forehead, and its radiating a strange chakra," Neji stated once he'd gotten a good look at her face. "We need to get her somewhere were we can get a better look at this, she needs to be somewhere where she can't hurt herself, and we need Sakura to help heal these wounds."

With a nod Gaara ordered his sand to pick up the struggling girl and they headed to the hospital, _'Please, hold on and be strong just a little longer, Cassie.'_

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**And there you have it … another cliffie! (Runs away from sharp objects) Sorry, my friend is moving on Sunday and I need to help her with packing and stuff before I move on to sobbing! **

**Some of you may be scratching your head after this chapter, but no worries! Everything will be explained in the next two coming chapters so don't go thinking that you missed anything! As for Faceless and her very (very) appropriate name … that's just me and my lack of imagination… (Joins Shikamaru's _Lazy and to Uninterested to Bother Caring_ club as I skip off the caffeine high I'm on right now!)**

**Starchip13**

To the reviewers (damn Fanfiction for stealing my underscores):

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** Personally, I'm an OC fanatic and I find it a lot easier to write strait pairing lemons (yes, I have tried), but if you were to write some yaoi then I would say Gaara/Lee. (Squeal) Lee is my one of favourite characters (next to Gaara of course), he's adorable, I just wanna hug him!! _Pyropixie:_ He'd get suffocated in your boobs. _Starchip13:_ (Sigh) but its Lee! Even saying his name makes me giggle! Send me the fiction when you're done princess!!!

**Spiritookami-** Keep reading to find out what happens next!!

**Empress-Dragon-** I hope the vagueness of this chapter didn't make the confusion in your life worse. (Hugs) Don't worry everything will become clear soon!!

**HanyouKenmei-** (Stands next to ReRe holding the I Love Kakashi sign) My favourite Naruto characters are as follows: 1 is a tie between Gaara (naturally) and Rock Lee (Teehee, he's adorable), 2 is Kakashi, 3 is Neji (I wanna poke him and annoy him), and 4 is Shino (…I don't know why…). Anyway, thanks for your review!!!

**TheStarsDarkness-** Who says addictions aren't good? I've had two cups of coffee and five of the extra large bottles of Gatorade and I am fine!!! (Spins in circles whistling an annoying little tune…) Can you tell that I only had three hours of sleep last night?!

**Ttwist-** I try and reply to all of my reviewers because you all rock!! I never expected to get so many reviews for this story.

**Avidreader101-** It's the person pulling the strings on the twins that is behind this whole plot (they're puppets of sorts)! The background story will be explained, along with the twin's origin/abilities/etc.

**HieiFan666-** She wasn't exactly kidnapped … there is something more interesting happening here!! Read and find out!

**Xbubblesx3o18x-** Thanks for the review! Looking forward to more!

**Chrosis-** (Shifty eye thing) My lawyer told me not to discuss plot points with my reviewers … he said spoilers are very bad … but then again he does wear his underwear on the outside.

**R i d 3 r-** (Glances fearfully at Elmo) Damn, that thing is creepy… Have you seen the little comic with Naruto, Rock Lee, and the Elmo doll? I should send it to you … it explains so much.

**Vegamarie-** Woot, woot, yes let's kick some butt!! …Once we figure out how to stop this 'wondering spirit' thingy…

**WhiteAlchemistTaya-** Don't blame the aliens, they're good people at times, and they bring me lots of coffee and Gatorade in exchange for my fast updating chapters. Though, they seem to be interested in how getting less than 7 hours of sleep in an entire weekend affects me.

**Seadrance-** No, I didn't think they'd Gaara and Hale would get along well in a search mission. That's why I stuck Gaara with Neji most of the time. Cassie's I trouble and we don't have time for arguments!!


	32. Sayonara Iwatesan

**Chapter #32**

**Sayonara Iwate-san**

**Disclaimer: (Damn, this is redundant) I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Hooray for snow days!!! I haven't been to school since the end of exams and I love it! I have enough Pepsi, writing, and photoshop drawings to keep me busy for days!! **

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With all the useless thrashing and screaming Gaara was starting to worry that, even restrained by sand, she would somehow hurt herself further. Cassie hadn't stopped screaming for a moment since Neji and Gaara found her, and she'd drawn quite a crowd inside the where other patients were trying to sleep. Even with all the yelling her voice didn't seem to get hoarse, and she was far from tired out.

"Let me go! Don't touch me! GET AWAY FROM ME, DAMNIT!"

"When is Sakura going to get here?" asked Gaara impatiently.

"She'll be here any minute," Neji responded with a glance down the hallway. Since arriving they'd taken the first empty room with the fewest patients sleeping nearby, but even so, Cassie's voice was carrying well. They heard a few bystanders that passed by whisper something about wondering if Gaara was trying to murder her. The Kazekage promptly ordered that the patients in that wing of the hospital be moved.

Two sets of heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway and Gaara glanced out the door hopefully. Unfortunately they were two people he didn't really want to see for one simple reason. They were the two people who would take Cassie's condition almost as badly as Gaara was – Gaara is a bottled up person anyway.

Daichi had an odd combination of anger and worry written all over his face as he forced his way into the room, "What on god's green acre are you _doing_ to her?! Kami, I can hear her screaming from all the way outside! First that brother of yours comes and tells me my daughter is missing, and now I find my daughter in here screaming bloody murder with _you_ restraining her!"

"Call off the sand," Hale demanded, "it sounds to me like she just wants you to let her go."

Gaara's hand twitched slightly but he maintained his cold exterior, "I found her screaming like this. I had to restrain her to prevent her from hurting herself."

"_What_ happened to my daughter?" asked Daichi in a particularly venomous tone.

It was a stroke of luck for everyone that Sakura, Kankuro, and Temari finally showed up. Sakura hated difficult relatives of her patients, and she had little tolerance for those who only made the situation more difficult to deal with. So Sakura did what she always did, she reached up and grabbed both men by the ear, and then proceeded to forcefully escort them out of the room.

"I realize this is hard on you Daichi-san and Hale-kun, but you have to accept the fact that this isn't Gaara's fault. As I've been told, Cassie is under some form of jutsu, and having you make it difficult for those who are trying to help isn't doing your daughter any good." Once they were out of the room Sakura gave a sympathetic look towards the father and son, "Please, go down to the waiting room. I'm a top medic in Konoha, so I promise to you I'll find out what's wrong. You don't need to worry."

Hale's eyebrows furrowed, but he knew Sakura somewhat from their trip, and he knew her reputation as Tsunade's apprentice, "We want to be updated the moment there is news. Good or bad. You got that Sakura-san?"

Sakura waved them off, and turned to the others, "Gaara-sama, can you please use your sand to place Cassie in the restraints on the bed. The only other person I need in this room is Neji because he's going to be my eyes for this examination."

The look in Gaara's eyes was an obvious _no_ for leaving the room.

The pink haired medic-nin stared him right in the eye, "Gaara-sama, please. I need as few people in here as possible, if I could actually see the seal as well Neji wouldn't be here either, I just need you to wait outside the door."

Gaara's fist was clenched so tight his knuckles were slowly turning a shocking shade of white. His mind was obviously struggling between his natural stubbornness, and the common sense that Sakura was the medic and probably right about wanting as few people in the room as possible. Eventually the Kazekage walked briskly towards the door, deciding that leaving Sakura to do her job was what would get whatever was wrong with Cassie fixed. After closing the door he leaned against the wall right beside the door and glared daggers at the opposite walls.

_It's not going to melt no matte how much you glare at it you know._

Rubbing his temples the red head gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore the voice of his demon.

_Fine, ignore me all you want, but I'm not going away. You should be used to that by now. I'm just here to say this was going to eventually happen, baka kid._

'_Shut. Up.'_ Gaara seethed inside his mind.

He could hear Shukaku's laugh, _Did you really think you'd be able to protect that girl? Did you think it was really your chance to find someone that loves you? People like you don't find love, and thinking that just trying to protect her is what's going to save her you're wrong. The girl is doomed, and when that seal takes full hold she'll be gone forever._

Sea foam eyes widening slightly, Gaara probed the demon, _'What are you talking about?'_

_Believe me when I say that you failed in protecting that girl the moment you let that one twin from the forest touch her. You may not be able to see it, but what has been placed on her is a soul transfer seal. It's used for wondering souls like a target of where there next victim is. That particular seal can only be placed on a body through physical contact, so her body has been marked for it ever since then, it was just a matter of time until they repaired the damage you did to that container you broke._ Gaara could even feel the Shukaku smirk, probably because any damage done to his mental state put the demon more in control, _There is actually a slightly modified version of the same technique used by human souls, but of course it's not as effective. Can you think of no one you know of that used a similar forbidden jutsu?_

'_A powerful jutsu that allows transfer of a soul from one body to the next…?'_ Gaara thought back, all the way to when he was still a Genin, and suddenly it came to him, _'It's like Orochimaru's jutsu!'_

_Now picture that jutsu without limitations. There doesn't have to be years between transfers, and once the jutsu takes over there will truly be nothing left of the original soul._

Inside the room Cassie was struggling for dear life against the restraints. She was kicking and thrashing around, desperately screaming for someone to get away from her.

Neji, Bayakugan activated, was examining the invisible chakra seal on her forehead while Sakura gently tried to probe her body with chakra to heal her self inflicted injuries.

Sakura cursed, "Something is rejecting my chakra, and I can't even do a physical because it might be dangerous to make contact with her..."

"The seal is trying to spread," Neji watched the spidery pattern crawl across her skin like vines, but sometimes when she screamed they would draw back again sharply, "but she's doing a hell of a job fighting it…"

"But the question is, how long can she keep fighting it, and when will it do to her when she can't?" Sakura scowled and tried to think of some kind of solution, but with no real knowledge of what the seal did, or even seeing first hand what was going on, she couldn't think of a thing. On top of that Cassie couldn't keep fighting it forever, so time was quickly running out.

Cassie is certainly stronger than looks, because with one good pull her hand was finally free from the restraint. Even in her panicked state she was able to use her free hand as quick as possible and rip off the others before Neji or Sakura could stop her. She jumped off the bed and landed hard on the floor, adding to the number of new bruises, and tried to get up and make a run for it. No matter how hard she tried she was definitely not faster than Neji, who caught up to her before she reached the door.

Using his ever handy 'chakra needles' Neji pressed a pressure point on Cassie's neck that made her entire body go limp. She would have hit the floor again if Gaara's sand hadn't slipped under the door to cushion her fall. Cassie's screaming quieted to persistent and stubborn muttering as she finally drifted to sleep.

'_It's like Gaara's sand instinctively protects her like it does for him,' _Sakura sighed, "I need every journal written on forbidden seals, and anything associated with them. Put Cassie back in restraints and have someone watching her at all times. Neji, I want you to monitor that seal and alert me to _any_ changes. We're going to figure this out, and we're going to fix this."

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'_**What's going on,' Cassie's constant running suddenly ceased and her body fell to the ground with a soft thud. Starting from her fingers, everything began to go numb, until eventually the cooling sensation penetrated her heart and all motor skills shut down. All she could do was lay there and listen to Faceless's calm footsteps draw nearer. It was just like being trapped inside her own mind.**_

"_**So those friends of yours are good for something after all," Faceless's cold chuckle drew nearer until her icy, boney, hands were resting on Cassie's shoulder. "Out of every other body I've taken, you've fought the longest, and I have to admit that 'm impressed. I'll show you some kindness and I'll allow you some happiness before our souls completely become one."**_

'_**NO, NO, NO!!' Cassie's own scream screeched inside her mind but her lips wouldn't move. She couldn't so much as twitch a finger or a toe anymore, and she had no idea why. **_

"_**Sleep, Iwate-san," Faceless cooed as she placed one skeleton finger on her forehead and the numbness began spreading across her very consciousness, "Sleep and I'll grant you good dreams."**_

_**Cassie's eyelids begun to drop, '…I'm so tired … I – I want to sleep, I want to have good dreams, and I don't want to fight anymore…'**_

"_**Sayonara, Iwate-san," whispered Faceless.**_

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Hours dragged on and the sun begun to rise and bring the desert heat along with it. Heat and tense situations never go well together. Sakura locked herself away in the nearest air conditioned room with a formidable pile of text that she thought would help even remotely with the situation, and it was a good thing too because everyone outside would have driven her completely insane. Hale and Daichi were becoming a handful for the nurses and receptionist with their pacing and demanding to see Cassie. Neji was beginning to get headaches from the heat – he was obviously not well suited for desert climate – and was doing everything possible to get a hold of some aspirin. Kankuro was ordered to keep an eye on Gaara, and ever since his little conversation with Shukaku his death threats were becoming ever more frequent. The hospital was turning into a real mad house…

Meanwhile one of the nurses was asked to keep an eye on Cassie while Neji searched for his pain killers. The young nurse glanced at the frail looking girl fast asleep, and tied down with the restraints they only used on shinobi visitors.

"Unbelievable, all this over this girl," the nurse whispered as she slowly examined the girl's body. "She's so young, just a child, she doesn't even _look_ sixteen."

The nurse was under strict orders not to touch the girl, if she woke up or moved she was to called Neji or Sakura, so she was stuck there staring at all the self-inflicted damage. Her arms, legs, and feet were covered with darkening ugly purple bruises, her skin was raw from wind burn – something common in the desert – and there were scratches all over her that, as far as she could tell, were made by her fingernails.

With a sigh the nurse glanced longingly out the window and hoped her shift would end soon. She did this just as the raven haired girl's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh my," the nurse shot to her feet and walked over to the restrained girl. She was about to go do her usual nurse's duties like talking to the patient and making sure they were comfortable, but then she remembered her orders.

She walked to the door to fetch Neji when a firm hand grabbed her by her hair, "Ouch!"

"Quiet down and quit making a fuss, we're in a hospital, honestly."

The nurse's eyes widened and her eyes wondered up to the face of the very girl she'd been told to watch, _'How did she get out of those restraints? How on earth did she get over here so quickly?!'_

She opened her mouth to call out for help, but her head was forced against the door frame. Stars danced in front of her eyes, and she quickly passed out.

Cassie gave an apologetic smile to the woman, and set her body aside, "You made it difficult for yourself, miss. I can't have you bring the shinobi in here. That would be most troublesome."

_Cassie_ turned to one of the reflective bed pans and held it up to examine her face. Her delicate fingers grazed over her soft round cheeks, and she admired it despite the few tiny scrapes that were present. "What a cute face, I don't think I've seen a face like this on a teenager before … I might just keep it when I'm finished."

Setting the pan aside she held up her hand in front of her face and flexed it thoughtfully, "Tsk, tsk, Iwate-san you have such suppressed chakra, but I have to admit your body has a bit of a kick to it…"

The smile on her face was a little unnatural to the face, and it held no warmth like it normally would.

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"Stop pacing," Gaara grumbled to Hale and Daichi. He needed a change of scenery during his hours of waiting, and since Kankuro was craving vending machine food they ended up in the waiting room with Cassie's father and brother. It soon proved to be a bad choice. Temari and Kankuro watched the beginnings of many an argument unfold.

"I don't see you doing anything," Hale growled in response.

Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously, "What do you suggest I do?"

Hale ground his teeth for a moment before spitting out his answer, "_Something_, I expect someone to be doing _something_."

"Ok, I don't want to separate you guys like children, but I damn well will," Temari snapped. "Gaara, get a hold of yourself and calm down before you cause a scene. Hale, Sakura and Neji have been working their asses off all night so show a little respect and give it up will you?"

"We don't need this," Daichi slumped over in his seat and shook his head, "We don't need to go through this, again. I don't think I can stand this … it reminds me to much of Rita."

Kankuro just munched on his chocolate bar and glanced out into the hallway towards the reception desk. It was nine-o-clock by this time so people were starting to come in for their routine appointments. Out of sheer boredom Kankuro's eyes followed the people in and out of the doors until he spotted a curtain raven haired someone whom he thought was still under observation.

"What the hell…" Kankuro took a step out for a closer look, "Hey guys, I think our little Cassie-chan is trying to make a run for it."

Everyone looked up, and Gaara and Daichi got to their feet to follow her.

"Cassie," Daichi called as he ran up to his daughter. She didn't turn around or give any other sign that she even heard him.

_Watch it, kid. You're not talking to Cassie anymore._

Daichi's eyebrows drew together in concern, "Cassandra, are you alright?"

"Oh yes, that's right," Cassie stopped in her tracks and tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Iwate Daichi, you're my _father_, I'd almost forgotten. How careless of me!"

She chuckled, but it sounded strange to Gaara, it sounded very different from the sweet sound she usually made. Then she spun gracefully on her heal to face the group, "Well, I shan't make that mistake again. Being sloppy was what caused all those nasty little problems in the forest before, and we don't want an incident like that again now do we?"

'_Her eyes,'_ Gaara's jaw clenched together. It was Cassie's face, but it seemed all wrong. Her smile was out of place, it wasn't gentle at all, and her eyes … they weren't even green anymore, they were narrow and black.

She smiled that darkened smile once again when she saw the surprise written across everyone's face, "I'll be checking myself out now."

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**Oo (ducks sharp objects) Yes, yet another cliffie… Sorry guys, it's just how the chapter arrangements worked out! The next chapter will be out this weekend if you all keep up the fantastic reviews!!**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks to those who reviewed:**

_Wolfgirl493, OneOfAKindDarkness18, MiahTheStormWolf, GaarasDarkPrincess, Pinguina, Spiritookami, WindKunoichi, Deathbroken, WhiteAlchemistTaya, OnyaxTears, Gaara1Love, HieiFan666, Ttwist, Annalovesspike14, Chrosis, and anyone I may have missed (you know who you are!!)_


	33. Time to Wake Up

**Chapter #33**

**Time to Wake Up**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Just something I've been wondering: Is Rock Lee's last name _Rock_ or _Lee_. I've been reading a lot of Lee fictions lately and I've heard people say both, and I am getting confused… Help a person who's a little slow will you??!!**

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"She's completely lost it," Hale muttered under his breath.

'_She's not even Cassandra anymore,'_ Gaara quickly caught the attention of Cassie's new onyx eyes, _'and it's because she was close to me … it's because I couldn't protect her on the way to Konohagakure…'_

"Gaara-sama," Cassie cooed in a little singsong voice, "why don't we just go home, I'm so tired, and I can't stand hospitals. They give me the creeps!"

Temari turned to whisper in Kankuro's ear, "It has to be an illusion. Go check Cassie's room and make sure she's ok."

Cassie walked up closer to Gaara and tried her best to adjust her smile. Those eyes of hers flashed as she reached out for Gaara's hand, and when Gaara pulled away she put on a little pout, "Aw, Gaara-sama, there is no need to be upset. Its no illusion, technically I am still Cassie-chan, but I wouldn't doubt your little demon friend has told you otherwise."

Gaara scowled and back away from the girl, "Who the _hell_ are you?"

"Temper, temper, we're in a hospital, honestly, for a Kazekage you have no manners," chided the Cassandra imposter. "It would be very rude of me to wake Iwate-san right now, just when she started having a good dream."

Daichi stepped forward uncertainly and reached for his daughter's hand, "Cassie, what's gotten into you?"

"Don't touch her," Gaara warned.

Cassie sighed and shook her head, "Now you're just going to make this difficult aren't you Gaara-sama?"

"If you aren't my sister then who are you?" demanded Hale.

"I believe none of us have been properly introduced, but you need not know my name. Our introductions will have to take place later, for now I have a few loose ends to tie up," her smiled disappeared and she began making quick hand seals. In an instant she vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Damn it! Temari get Neji and Sakura, I'm going to go after her," Gaara ordered. He disappeared into a wave of sand shortly after, leaving everyone else slightly confused.

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_Cassie_ scaled rooftops in single bounds with the rush of new chakra coursing through her body like adrenaline. Having a body again felt fantastic, even if it wasn't the one she desired, but she was patient, and knew that would come to her soon enough. Her objective now was to find a way to plant a seal on Gaara's body.

She landed just outside the village where she was not likely to be disturbed. Ignoring the fact that she still didn't have shoes on and it was tarring up the souls of her feet. Not that it mattered much because within moments all the injuries were healed by the new chakra.

"The two of you better have an explanation on what took so long," Cassie crossed her arms authoritatively as she waited for the twins to reveal themselves from the shadows, "First you let that boy break my container, and then you take so long to find me again? Had you not found me again before sunrise I would have disappeared! The two of you have been cutting it much to close!"

The two young girls knelt respectively before Cassie and muttered a simultaneous apology to their master.

"Yang, I want you to explain your actions before. It was because of you my container was broken, you let Iwate-san into your memories," Cassie snapped at the dark haired twin.

"That was not my intention, mistress," Yang answered in an even tone, "I only wished to bring out her memories, but somehow her mind sought out mine."

Cassie gave an annoyed sigh, "Our minds haven't merged yet, so there are still some thoughts of hers I haven't pried into yet. How much, exactly, did she see?"

Yang paused for a moment, "Nothing specific, I was surprised she even knew to brake the container… And she may have seen a little bit … she could have possibly seen a little of my past."

Rushing toward Yang in a burst of speed Cassie grabbed her by her hair, and she pulled hard as she reminded Yang, "_You_ don't have a past. _You_ are just a puppet created by me, and the only reason _you_ exist is to serve me! You're not even human, you're not much more than a doll actually, and you're just flesh animated by my chakra. Don't go _thinking_ you have a will of your own."

"G-Gomenasai, mistress, I was mistaken," Yang looked hopefully to her sister, Yin, but there was no use in it. Yin truly was an empty shell, and an empty shell can't offer assistance. "…I meant to say that she could have seen my creation."

"Very good, Yang. I'm not pleased about her seeing what she did, but it doesn't matter now. In all logic, Iwate-san is dead, she can't get in the way anymore," Cassie released Yang, and the puppet returned to her place beside her sister. "Those pesky shinobi will be looking for us as we speak, and they may even have all the Sand-nin on alert right now. Yin, take care of them, I don't want any disturbances. Yang, you'll accompany me, we need to set a seal for our next target."

"Hai," Yin and Yang responded in perfect synchronization.

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There was no joking around this time. They weren't just looking for a missing person, they were tracking down a potentially dangerous Kunoichi, and so everyone was on high alert.

Even with everyone available looking, their search yielded no results, when she didn't want to be found, she would be found. That much was curtain anyway … so they just had to hope whoever was possessing Cassie's body actually _wanted_ to be found, and the sooner the better. Who knew how much time the real Cassie had left, or even if she had time left at all.

"I've got good news and bad news," Sakura informed Gaara as they continued their search. "I couldn't find out much about the seal, but I could get Neji to identify it from a list of symbols."

That certainly caught Gaara's interest, "Do you know what it is?"

"Well, to tell you the truth that thing about not finding much was the good news, Gaara-sama," Sakura bit her lip slightly before continuing, "There were some old documents outlining some events over fifty years ago. It seems there was a real problem with these new entities called _Wondering Spirits_, and they would mark bodies for use. It was always hard to identify because only people like Neji – and possibly Sasuke – could even detect it. These spirits are like parasites, and they need to take over bodies to survive because sunlight is fatal to them."

There was another pause before Sakura continued, "Their attacks were efficient enough, but there were some catches. As far as we can tell they need to use physical contact to mark a body first, and when the spirit is out in the open it will seek out the mark like a beacon."

'_But then what on earth was with those twin girls…?'_ Gaara's eyebrows – or lack there of – drew together in concern, "Is there any way to reverse it?"

"The research had too many holes in it to be sure, and that is what leads to be actual _bad_ news. The only way to get rid of the wondering spirit is to force it out of the body with a special scroll – which we don't have – and expose it to direct sunlight. No one who has had their body taken over had actually lived." Suddenly all of Sakura's pausing made sense, and the fact that she had to force out the last word didn't making it sound any more reassuring.

Gaara cringed just listening to the pick haired medic talk. It was like Gaara's heart was being torn out, and it almost seemed worse than when Yashamaru betrayed him, _'Shukaku wasn't lying…'_

"But we're not just going to give up! We're going to find a way around it Gaara-sama, I promise!" Sakura stated with true determination, "Cassie-chan is important to all of us, and I know for a fact she won't go down without a fight!"

'_Cassie was fighting for all she was worth to keep in control before, she fought so hard, and in the end she didn't stop until she was knocked out,'_ the red headed Kazekage set his eyes forward and his sand shifted in large ripples around his feet, "I'll never let her die. She's the one I have to protect, she's the one that makes me feel strong … and she's the one I love."

"Aw, isn't that sweet, and people say demons can't feel love! I'm truly touched, Gaara-sama!" There was that taunting voice again, that cheep imitation of Cassandra's voice, and that superior tone to it was only making it worse.

Apparently Cassie suddenly felt the need to be found again, and she chose to make her presence known at a moment when she could only anger Gaara further. She sat calmly on a nearby rooftop, after acquiring some shoes and cloths that were most likely stolen anyway, and looked down on them with charcoal coloured eyes.

Gaara gritted his teeth to suppress a wave a rage, _'Whoever that is will pay dearly to what they've done to her…'_

"So sorry, it appears I've made you angry," Cassie chuckled in fake surprise. She motioned for a familiar dark haired young girl, to step into view, and Cassie placed her hand on her as though the girl were a pet. "Gaara I believe you're well acquainted with Yang, one of my little helpers from the forest. If you're angry she'd love to hear any complaints you may have, and judging by the look on your face, I'd say you have a few."

"What on earth…" Sakura muttered.

Yang jumped down from the rooftop gracefully and pulled out her sword. Yang was the mystery of the twins from the forest despite the fact that her sister was even colder and showed less emotion. She was a mystery because out of the two it was likely she hadn't shown the full extent of her power yet.

"Mistress wishes for us to fight," Yang stated blandly.

Gaara gave a frustrated growl that just made Cassie chuckle again, "What, you wanted to fight _me_? And after I took such good care of this body too! Look, I was even kind enough to get some shoes and cloths for this body. I may have taken this body over, but it's still the same one that belonged to Iwate-san."

Yang dashed forward in an amazing Lee-worthy burst of speed and her sword clashed into a solid wall of sand. She spun quickly to try and find another way through by racing against the sand. It almost seemed she would win, but the difference about this battle to the last one was that they were where Gaara had the advantage. The desert gave him more sand than he would ever need to fight with.

The sand very nearly wrapped itself around Yang's feet a great number of times, but somehow she was always just fast enough to avoid being crushed. That was when Sakura lent a little assistance by also attempting to fight. She had after all got the hit that physical contact was out of the question with the girl, and knew to avoid it at all costs.

Another wall of sand shot up, and this one caught Yang off guard. Though he didn't get the chance to completely capture her before she drew back he did injure her. Her limping and clinging to her sides was a tell-tale sign of broken ribs.

This just served to make Cassie angry, and she jumped down from her perch. She gently tapped the kunai in her hand against her collar bone, "It's not nice to break other people's things, Gaara-san. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if I did any damage to this body, but then again … your fetish for blood _is_ known…"

"Don't you even dare," there was a large amount of venom in Gaara's voice when he spoke, "Don't you dare hurt her!"

Cassie smiled again, "You still don't seem to realize that this body is all that's left. Gaara-sama, you _are_ talking to 'Cassie' right now and you don't realize it."

The Cassie imposter sprinted forward, easily getting around Gaara's defenses, but that was mostly because his sand almost instinctively protected her. She was inches from his face when the sand finally wrapped around her ankles.

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"_**Mommy," Cassie called happily as she saw her mom walk through the door. She ran the fastest she could just so she could wrap her arms around her mom that much quicker, "Mommy, you're home!"**_

_**Iwate Rita staggered slightly upon impact. When she regained her balance she returned her daughter's hug tenfold, "My goodness, Cassie, aren't you the energetic one today! I just went to take Hale to the academy, and you act like you haven't seen me in years!"**_

_**Young Cassie just smiled sweetly, "I just really missed you! It feels like you've been gone for a long time!"**_

_**Rita hugged her daughter tightly, "Well then I might just not ever let you go because you're so adorable and cute, and I don't ever want you to leave my side. You're going to stay with me forever and ever!"**_

"_**Forever and ever," agreed Cassie.**_

_**Those particular words sounded nice and they repeated in Cassie's mind for quite some time. For some reason it was like she never thought she'd hear those words ever again, and Cassie almost cried thinking about it. Why was she so eager to see her mom again when she'd been gone less than a half hour? Why did it feel like if she let go that she'd loose her forever?**_

_**Later that day Cassie's mom took her out to the village to play with the other kids, and she was having fun. They listened and no one shunned her – for some reason she thought they'd find her weird every time she voiced an opinion, but no one did, and she was happy.**_

_**The ball they were playing with went flying out of the playing field and Cassie volunteered to go get it. When she stopped to pick it up she noticed something … a red headed boy, maybe a year or two older than her, standing off on his own just watching the other children playing while he clung to his teddy bear. She could also see how sad those unusual eyes of his were, and the shine they gave off from threat of tears. Why was no one else noticing the boy?**_

"_**Hey, do you want to play too?" asked Cassie as she waved him over to her.**_

_**He didn't move or even acknowledge he heard her. The only thing that happened was a single tear that rolled down his cheek.**_

_**Cassie blinked and tossed the ball aside to her friends. She wasn't sure what was wrong with the boy, but if no one else was going to find out why he was crying she would. Or at least she would have if her mom hadn't grabbed her arm to stop her.**_

"_**Don't go with him," Rita ordered.**_

"_**But Mommy he's crying," little Cassandra pointed at the boy, "I was only going to ask if he wanted to play with me."**_

_**Rita's eyes narrowed, "You won't go with him. You're going to stay here and play."**_

_**Cassie was slightly confused with her mother. She wasn't acting at all like herself, and her grip was unusually icy, "M-Mommy I think he need h-help…"**_

_**The unfamiliar icy grip pulled Cassie in closer and her mother's voice whispered in her ear, "You promised, you said we'll be together forever and ever, don't you remember? Good girls keep their promises. You didn't forget did you? Because … because I remember my promise Cassandra, I said I would never let you go…"**_

_**Something was wrong, something was very wrong… It was like she could sense the lie behind it all, and she was supposed to know something, she was supposed to know something important. Cassie's heart rate picked up and she began trying to pull away from her mother, but her – now painful – grip was holding her fast.**_

"_**Please, don't leave, if you stay with me you'll never be sad again," Rita whispered into her daughter's ear, "If you stay nothing bad will happen, and you'll always stay in my heart…"**_

'_**Something bad … something bad will happen…' Watery green eyes widening, Cassie pulled away sharply from her mother, "This is a lie! You're not my Mommy! You can't be! My Mommy is … she is…"**_

_**Rita got to her feet and held her hands out to invite the nearly crying girl back to her arms, "You've been hiding your sadness for a long time, Cassie. Come to Mommy, and I'll make all your pain go away. You can stay here with me where you're needed, where you're wanted…"**_

"_**Someone needs me right now … someone wants me by their side … but who is it? Why can't I remember?!" The tears she'd been fighting for years were finally starting to pour down her cheeks and a small defeated sob escaped her.**_

"_**I love you…" For a moment Cassie thought it was her mother who said it, but it was a man's voice. Standing back where the boy had once been was a man who looked exactly like him, and like she boy he was just staring at her, but not in the same expression as before. His hand was held out for her and his look was gentle and soothing. Eyes filled with genuine love. "I love you…"**_

_**The red headed band turned to leave, and motioned for her to follow. She did so without thinking, but he was a fast walker and she soon lost sight of him. **_

"_**Hello?" called Cassie, "Where did you go?"**_

"_**Its time to wake up…" someone's hand on her shoulder made Cassie jump and spin around. It was another little boy, different from the one who became the man, but the similarities between them were almost scary. The only big difference was that the new little boy's hair was a much darker shade of red. **_

_**All of a sudden Cassandra was her proper age again, but she didn't take to much notice of it, "I-I've been asleep this whole time haven't I? That woman really wasn't mom after all…"**_

_**Why was it that, even though she'd never met the boy before, she was oddly attached to him? It was like an odd connection similar to the one she felt with the man from before, and it pushed her to wrap her arms around the boy. Almost like instinct she cradled the little boy in her arms and kissed the top of his head. It was like maternal instinct on overdrive.**_

"_**Who are you?" she questioned. It was an odd time to ask since she was mothering him like her own child.**_

"_**We haven't met yet," he stated as he returned her hugs, "but its time to wake up… You have to keep fighting."**_

_**Swallowing a lump in her throat Cassie nodded in agreement, "Someone needs me right now, and I have to go see him…"**_

_** - - **_

_**That familiar cold and numb sensation prickled at the tips of each of Cassie's fingers again like before. She continued to fight the urge to fall asleep again, and slowly one of her eyes opened tiredly to the dark void space where Faceless had been hunting her. **_

_**This time Faceless's attention was not focus on her, but ahead of them where there was a foggy vision of what was happening in the outside world. She was laughing in amusement at the vision of Gaara directly in front of them, and tied to each of her fingers was a little glowing silver thread. With each subtle movement of her finger similar strings attached all over Cassie's body would respond and move her limbs. With another twitch of her finger Cassie's arm reached forward toward Gaara.**_

'_**You're not using me as a puppet, not in my lifetime!' Locking her elbow the stubborn raven haired young girl pulled her arm against the string. There was lots of pain shooting up the muscles of her arm, and when she resisted it pulled harder to force the movement, but she just yanked her arm back in return.**_

_Snap**. The string on her arm gave way with a wave of pain.**_

_**Faceless spun around, "What? You can't be awake!"**_

"_**Just watch me," Cassie gritted her teeth and stepped back to pull against all the strings. Faceless was dragged forward a few inches from surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and wrenched sharply on the strings.**_

_Snap, snap.** A string on her shoulder and leg snapped causing more pain, but in return she got control over a few of her own movements. **_

"_**You know what, right now I'm pissed off as hell, and I don't think I've ever been this angry!" Hollered Cassie as she broke another string, "I'm through with all this bullshit! This is my body, damn it! NOW. GET. OUT!!!"**_

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Looking like she fully intended to lunge at Gaara, Cassie's body was stuck in a frozen stance. Her teeth ground together slightly, "What…? You can't be awake!"

"Just watch me!" Cassie responded to her own statement.

'_She's arguing … with herself?'_ thought Gaara, _'could it be that Cassie isn't 'asleep' anymore?'_

Cassie continued struggling against something invisible that was controlling her, and Gaara wasn't at all sure who was winning. He wanted desperately to help, but he didn't know if there was anything he could do without making it worse, _'Keep fighting, don't give up, please don't give up … I need you with me Cassie, so please just don't give up.'_

Falling to her knees Cassie still continued to struggle, more violently this time, but her hair was in her face so no one could tell who was talking, "You know what, right now I'm pissed off as hell, and I don't think I've ever been this angry! I'm through with all of this bullshit! This is my body, damn it! NOW. GET. OUT!!!"

One of her shaking hands reached up to her forehead and something silvery slowly appeared, growing from the point of contact like veins. It got brighter and brighter, and by the sound of her screaming _someone_ was in great agony. Though, it was a possibility they were both in pain.

One of Cassie's large glassy eyes opened, but they were completely grey and zapped of colour.

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**Sorry for leaving it right there. I know it's a lousy place to leave off, and I did want this chapter to go a bit further, but I kinda got carried away and made this a long chapter. Other than that all I have to say is Faceless is a bitch!!! Wow, it's sad when I hate my own character this much… oh well!! **

**_Starchip:_ (Gets out flashlight) die creepy person thingie!!! **

**_Faceless:_ (Sighs) I hate being the bad guy, you don't pay me enough for this! I knew I should have taken the part of the mother in 'High School Girl' when I had the chance…**

**_Starchip:_ (pokes faceless with a stick) You're an _evil_ person…**

**_Faceless:_ …I hate you so much right now.**

**Starchip13**

**Thank you reviewers:**

_GaarasDarkPrinces, HieiFan666, -Asa-Hoshi-, Avidreader101, Pinguina, Miah The Storm Wolf, Inu Youkai Yume, LoveMeForMe, Spiritookami, OnyxTears, White Alchemist Taya, Vegamarie, xBubblesx3o18x, Chrosis, HanyouGirl17, Ttwist, XXmyXOrochimaruXX, and the rest!! You all KICK ASS!!!!!_


	34. Who's Name?

**Chapter #34**

**Who's Name?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**The reason why I'm posting so late: Writing/editing the first half of this chapter nearly made me cry! Goddamn sad scenes! I've gotta take a page out of Itachi's book and get rid of the part of the brain with emotion…**

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There was a lot of bright light that everyone around Sunagakure saw right then as the seal begun to shatter like brittle glass. Anyone nearby was blinded by it, including Gaara and Sakura, and it was a while before the little white spots in their eyes dispersed to clear their vision and they could see anything at all. It was all massive confusion, and it was only made worse on the lack of knowledge on what was going on to begin with.

"Mistress?" murmured Yang nervously to Cassie's body which was sitting slightly slumped over with long black locks mopping over her face. Yang nudge her body gently with wide eyes, "…I don't know what's going on … this has never happened before..."

Gaara – who was sick and tired of everything that happened – walked right up to the puny little girl and picked her up by the collar of her shirt. His limbs were shaking with anger, and the look in his eyes was scaring even Yang who hadn't shown emotion in front of him before. His voice was strained as a sign of his struggling control of his emotions, "_What_ happened to her?"

"That Iwate girl may have tried to push my mistress out of her body, but I'm not sure. I just said that this has never happened before! If she did its likely that both of them are going to die!" Yang – being much stronger than she looked – pried herself from Gaara's grip with difficulty. She needed to put at least a little distance between her and Gaara because that look in his eyes made her unbelievably nervous. _'But I'm still alive, even after the seal broke, and yet I'm still alive… It doesn't make any sense, if the seal is broken then she shouldn't be occupying the body, and the sunlight would kill her. I still feel connected to her but I can't hear any commands…'_

It was Sakura's turn to voice her opinion to Yang, and that came as a devastating slap across the face that sent her flying, "Do you really think we're going to accept that?! There has to be _something_ we can do! You little brat, you better tell us everything or I'll make you wish you were dead!!"

Yang staggered to her feet, nursing her swollen cheek so she could speak properly. "There is nothing you can do! That body has no soul anymore, don't you get it?! That body is nothing but a useless doll now. There is no way to bring a _human_ soul back!"

'_No … never, not her, not her!'_ Gaara felt helpless as he walked to Cassie's body. Underneath that veil of silky black hair were a pair of grey eyes staring with a glazed over look at the world, like dead eyes. Instinctively his had moved gently over her cheek to try and wake her, in hopes that she would snap out of it, and she would smile sweetly at him and say everything was alright. But she didn't respond at all. Whatever balance there had been keeping her upright disappeared and Cassie's body fell limply to the side.

Gaara caught her in his arms and pulled her into his chest gently, "Cassie, wake up… Come on you have to wake up…"

'_She can't be…'_ Sakura outright refused to believe that Cassie was dead, and her heart ached when she saw the look on Gaara's face. It was a tear educing mixture of terror, disbelief, and grief. _'Cassie-chan meant the world to Gaara, and now…'_

"Cassie, wake up!" Gaara started yelling her name, and his voice cracked dangerously.

The bright light from before attracted everyone who was searching for Cassie from the beginning. They all arrived just in time to see Gaara try desperately to wake Cassie who remained in the same state no matter what. It was painfully obvious to everyone that she wasn't even breathing anymore.

Temari's grip tightened on her fan, she hated herself for only arriving in time to find her friend dying, "No way…"

"Oh man…" Kankuro almost couldn't watch. He'd almost thought of Cassie like a little sister, someone adorable that was fun to tease, and he knew how much Gaara cherished her. _'Don't let Shukaku take this chance, not now; otherwise there won't be any hope at all…'_

"My sister … my little sister," Hale was too stunned to mumble out more than that.

Neji's Bayakugan scanned the girl's limp body, but he could really only see the systems of Chakra, and not whether a soul was still present there. _'The seal somehow shattered, and now there isn't any chakra in her system at all. Though, that would make sense, such a complicated seal would take a lot to break it, and if she did overdo it then she will inevitably die…'_

"…G-Gomenasai…" One of Cassie's hands lifted slowly to his back, "…you have to get away…"

Gaara would have felt relief, had there not been a numbing sensation spreading up his back from where Cassie's hand was pressed. With the chilling feeling old memories came flooding back and none of them were good. Every time children ran away from him, every time he was just left alone, when Yashamaru betrayed him, and everything else bad in his life that went on. Needless to say, it was a long line of memories since Gaara's childhood wasn't exactly delightful.

"_Nice try, Gaara-sama, but I'm not that easy to get rid of…"_

Without warning Gaara slumped over, and his siblings immediately jumped to catch them both. They knew better than anyone what would happen if he fell asleep, and if they all wanted the village to stay in one peace they would have to do something, and do it fast.

"Gaara, come on bro stay with us!" Kankuro snapped at his younger brother as he supported him to keep him sitting upright. "Stay _awake_, Gaara!"

"That mark is on his back," Neji stated, "Somehow that thing inside Cassie held on long enough to get Gaara to make contact with her. He's in some sort of trance-like state now, but I am not sure whether he'll fall asleep."

Hale picked up his sister and laid her out on the ground. He held his face close to her mouth to check her breathing, and he held two fingers to her neck to attempt to find a heart rate. "Damn, she's not breathing, and I can't feel a goddamn pulse!"

"Kankuro, keep Gaara awake, I need to deal with this first or Cassie will stay dead. You won't want to deal with Gaara when he snaps out of it if that happens," Sakura ordered. With her usual firm but gentle hand she made Hale shove over slightly so she could have some room. She'd seen similar instances where shinobi used forbidden jutsu or pushed themselves too far. It's because they drain any energy they have in the body to keep the rest of their functions going.

'_As Tsunade puts it, it's just like jumpstarting an engine, if you do it right it'll come back to life again…'_ thought Sakura as she summoned a large amount of highly energized chakra to her palms. With a deep breathe she brought her hands down on Cassie's chest, and her body convulsed like it had been shocked with electricity. Then nothing, her body didn't respond.

"Shit, Cassie if you give up on me I swear I'm going to slap you," Sakura hissed under her breath and began to prepare her chakra again. This time she used a lot more than usual, in hopes that she would respond to it. Her hands made contact with Cassie's skin and Sakura's super energized chakra flowed into her body making all her muscles contract for a brief moment.

Another long pause and Sakura felt her eyes grow hot. If Cassandra's body would respond there wasn't much she could do, especially if the soul was already gone. Her body wouldn't be able to survive without her mind.

Then suddenly Cassie's chest heaved up, almost far higher than it normally could have, and took in as much air as it possibly could. Her breathing was heavily labored, but she was breathing!

"Kami," Hale grasped his sister's hand, "I should have known she'd be too stubborn to give up. I never thought I'd be thankful for it!"

Sakura rubbed her temples and muttered something about it likely that she'd get an ulcer from her line of work, "Hale, take Cassie back to the hospital and have the staff there give her the IV and make sure she's monitored strictly for any changes in her condition. She'll be out for a while, but if she responds well to treatment her strength will return."

Hale nodded thankfully, but before he left he made sure to give Sakura a bone crushing hug. After nearly breaking one of Sakura's ribs he left carrying Cassie who was fast asleep in his arms.

With one teen brought back to the land of the living Sakura turned to Gaara whose sea green eyes only carried a far off look in them. But because they weren't being destroyed by a demon they could wager a guess that he wasn't really sleeping. As far as Sakura knew the Wondering Souls needed their host to 'sleep' and allow the takeover, and it puzzled Sakura as to exactly what the soul was planning on doing by trying to take over the body of someone who never slept.

"We'll take him back to the hospital as well, it will be easier to keep an eye on him there," Sakura announced after not finding any other solution.

"Wouldn't that be putting everyone in the hospital in danger?" asked Temari. She hated to say it about her own brother, but it was something she couldn't ignore, and she knew as the Kazekage Gaara would also agree if he was aware of anything at all.

Sakura sighed, "It might, but at the hospital I have access to everything I will ever need to keep him awake, should that become a problem. We'll also have a better place to monitor him, and we'll have an entire hospital staff behind us."

Nodding, Kankuro got to his feet with his brother's arm over his shoulder, "Then what are we doing just sitting around here talking? Let's get going already!"

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_**Suddenly Gaara understood why Cassie's lips had been blue when he found her. He hadn't been so cold since Christmas day when he had to go to see the Hokage without a shirt on. **_

"_**Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself as he wondered the darkness.**_

"_**You're nowhere really," a cool feminine voice responded. "But if you want to think about it in literal terms then you've been trapped inside your own mind, Gaara-sama."**_

_**Gaara spun, fully intending on using his sand to crush a potential enemy. That was when he realized his gourd was gone, he'd grown so used to having it with him he hadn't even noticed, and there wasn't any sand or earth around them either. In fact there wasn't anything at all. **_

_**A figure of a tall woman with long blue-silver hair was standing there behind him; the shocking pale colours of her were the only light in the darkness. She stood in a relaxed pose with her skeleton-like hands resting lightly on her hip. Gaara imaged she'd have a confident expression on her face, if she'd had a face that is.**_

"_**Who are you?" demanded Gaara.**_

"_**Of course, you don't recognize me in my true form," as she spoke her height suddenly began decreasing, and her hair grew shorter and darker. Her face began to develop distinct features until it became Cassandra's face, with the exception of the coal black eyes of course. "My name is Faceless, and I must say it's an honor to meet you, Gaara-sama."**_

_**Gaara's eyes narrowed, "You're the one that hurt Cassie!"**_

"_**And you're the one who couldn't protect her," pointed out Faceless in a singsong tone, "and in the end all this was thrust upon her because she met you. That would make you the cause of her death, Gaara-sama."**_

"_**S-she … she…" the normally stoic Kazekage's voice began to crack again. His chest felt like it was being torn apart.**_

"_**But honestly, women are troublesome to begin with. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered the feared Kazekage himself caring for a puny little girl. If you ask me it was a foolish move to make for a leader, because leaders have to be willing to make decisions and sacrifices without emotion clouding their judgment. Having that girl around made you soft, Gaara-sama, and men like that are not leaders." Faceless's original form restored itself as she spoke, "Though, if it means that much to you, she did put up one hell of a fight. People occasionally wake up, but no one has ever been able to break the seal before. It was a little touch and go for a while, but again, the whole reason I survived was because you rushed to her aide. Any longer and I would have died with the girl."**_

_**There were no words Gaara knew that would even come close to all the things he wanted to throw back at Faceless. Cassie was his world, and now she was gone. He'd die before he let Faceless survive after what she did.**_

_**Faceless took one delicate step forward, her long silver hair trailing behind her like silk, and she placed one hand on Gaara's chest. The area around her hand started to grow colder than the rest of his body, "Such pain … I could ease that pain for you. I could make you forget all those little things that make your heart ache. All I need is your first memory of **her**."**_

_**Gaara's mind was already reeling with all the precious memories of his Cassie and everything about her he would no longer get to see anymore. So just the suggestion of their first meeting brought it to mind involuntarily, 'It was the night I was assigning her brother to a mission, and she came to walk him home. Cassie had those dogs with her, and she didn't seem afraid when she caught my eye. She looked curious because her dogs were barking at me…'**_

"_**Very good," cooed Faceless. Her hand moved from his chest to his temple, and just as the memory was passing through Gaara's mind it begun to disappear, "Now tell me, what where you doing when you met her? What was she doing?"**_

"…_**I don't remember," answered Gaara truthfully.**_

"_**Do you remember if she had anyone with her? Relatives, or maybe pets?"**_

_**Gaara shook his head tiredly.**_

_**Faceless paused a moment in anticipation, "What is her name?"**_

_**There was another long pause before he numbly answered, "Who's name?"**_

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It was the throbbing of his head that first began to wake Gaara, but for a few minutes he couldn't make sense of anything. His mind was in a fog and spinning like a top, and his limbs felt so heavy he couldn't move. When he tried to clear his vision he was blinded by the white walls of his hospital room, and he saw that the main reason why he couldn't move was that his limbs had been put in restraints.

'_What the…'_ Gaara looked over to the nurse who was to deeply into her book to notice him waking up, "What on earth is going on?"

The nurse jumped, and instead of answering Gaara's question she scurried out of the room to go fetch Neji and Sakura. The two of them walked in a few minutes later, Sakura looking concerned, and Neji looking indifferent as usual.

Sakura sipped at the coffee in her hand before speaking, "_Please,_ tell me it's really you, Gaara. With all the stuff that's happened I haven't gotten any shuteye in over forty-eight hours."

"It is," Neji stated, "The seal is still dormant."

"What are the two of you talking about? What seal? How did I get here? Will the two of your quit staring and untie me already?!" Gaara would have broken the restraints himself already if his body didn't feel so drained, "There better be a long explanation for all of this."

The pinkette gave him a skeptical look, "What is the last thing you remember before you passed out?"

Gaara had to think for a moment because his mind was still in a fog, but he could distinctly remember the last thing he was doing, "I was in my office briefing a group of Chunin on a new mission."

"So you're awake, thank Kami," Kankuro walked in and munched on a chocolate bar.

'_It's amazing how Kankuro can do that to a serious mood,'_ Neji sigh before asking the most obvious question, "Gaara what's the date today?"

That was a harder question. Everything around the time he thought he zoned out was fuzzy at best, and things like exact dates were almost impossible to remember, "… August, or early September … I think…"

Kankuro, Sakura, and Neji glanced at each other in concern for a few seconds.

"You're off by six months there, bro, its January now," Kankuro was the first to break the news.

"What are you talking about? Six months? I've been out of it for six months?" asked Gaara, "And why has no one untied me yet?"

Sakura began undoing the straps on Gaara's wrist, and then the one across his chest, "You don't remember _anything_ from the past six months?"

"No."

There was another exchange of worried looks, and Gaara was starting to wonder exactly how much he'd missed. Evidently he'd completely forgotten about half a year out of his life, but from all the 'looks' he got the distinct feeling he wasn't just forgetting that, he was forgetting something even more important.

"Does the name Cassandra ring any bells for you, Gaara?" probed Sakura.

"No, should it?" he answered truthfully, but for some reason he was getting a funny feeling in his chest when he answered.

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**Gasp! Poor Gaara-kun, getting tricked into loosing over six months worth of memory! Poor Cassie, she's right back to square one!**

**Thank your for so many reviews, and keep it up!**

**Starchip13**

**Thank you to reviews:**

_NaruSasuLuv (GaarasDarkPrincess), Gakusgrl-Saiyuki, Pinguina, InuYoukaiYume, BakaHanyouRahvin, XXmyorochimaruXX, White Alchemist Taya, Ttwist, xbubblesx3o18x, Gaara1Love, spiritookami, avidreader101, Chrosis, OnyxTears_


	35. Back in the Shell

**Chapter #35**

**Back in the Shell**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Even I didn't expect this story to be this long, I'm so proud of myself! Of course I had everything planned out from chapter one (just to show you how far ahead I was thinking) and it turned out to be my longest running story by far!**

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Cassandra felt like her eyes were glued shut, and no matter how hard she tried to open them they just wouldn't. Eventually she just allowed herself to sleep, and drift in and out of consciousness as people talked beside her bed. At best she caught some odd mumbled out words between occasional visitors before falling into another dreamless sleep. Every time she fell asleep and woke up she felt just a little more of her strength return, until eventually she found enough energy just to open her tired eyes.

She squinted against the blinding white of her hospital walls, and off in the distance she could hear all sorts of monitors make their little rhythmic beeping noises. After what happened it was no surprised she ended up in a hospital, the thing that actually surprised her was the fact that she lived. Everything was so dark for so long she could have sworn she simply died, and the noises of the monitors that would have otherwise been annoying suddenly made her heart pound faster. Cassie was still alive and kicking! The first ever survivor of a Wondering Spirit host, and all it took was a mini coma. She would have been a bit more overjoyed if she had any ability to move her limbs whatsoever. That strength had yet to return.

Beside her bed was her father, Daichi, sitting slumped over in his chair with his head leaning against the wall. His eyes were half open and had a slightly far off look indicative of someone hovering between sleep and consciousness.

"…D-dad…" It took a bit of effort to talk, and her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Daichi jumped to attention, and seeing his daughter's eyes open nearly made him cry, "Thank Kami, you're awake! You've been sleeping for almost two days, and it was beginning to make me worry. I swear Cassandra I will ground you until you turn twenty if you _ever_ scare me like that again! There is only so much I can take you know!"

Cassie returned her father's ranting with a tired smile, "I'm glad … to see you're ok, dad. How is everyone else?"

"Cassie, you're an odd one. You wake up after nearly dying, and the first thing you ask is whether everyone else is ok." Daichi sighed and held his daughter's hand gently, "Everyone else is just fine, Cassie, so save your strength by not worrying."

"…How is Gaara?"

Daichi paused, "I'm not sure because I've been here with you the entire time, and it's not like anyone will ever tell me anything around here. Hale said he was going to check things out a little while ago, so he'll tell you when he gets back."

'_He's in the hospital … that Faceless thing didn't get to Gaara did she…?'_ Cassie's stomach lurched and she turned to her father once again, "I need to speak with Sakura, Neji, Temari, and Kankuro. I need to tell them something right away."

"But you should rest, and you're in no condition to-"

"Please, it's important, and it can't wait."

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Temari sighed. She hated dealing with Gaara when he was in a bad mood, and his mood was only worsening the longer he was forced to be confined to a hospital room with no explanation. But what else could they do? He lost six months worth of memory, and he was refusing to believe the little stuff they did tell him. The little battle in the woods, and the fact that someone took over a girl's body to try and get to him would be what he'd most likely believe, but there was no way in hell the Gaara before Cassie's influence would believe he'd fallen in love with someone.

'_Poor Cassie … if we can't figure out a way to fix this, and do it soon, it will break her heart,'_ thought Temari as her eyes followed her youngest brother's pacing back and forth across the room. "Gaara, will you please just listen to me for once and sit down? You're not doing anyone any good, in fact I think watching you pace for so long is giving me whiplash."

Gaara just gave his classic 'screw off' grunt and continued pacing without another form of acknowledgement toward his sister. It'd been a day already, and even though he'd gained back the ability to move freely again he still didn't have his normal control over the sand. All the sand could do was protect him, but anything else was beyond his depleted chakra levels. He made sure to inform his siblings that as soon as he had control over his sand again he was leaving because then they wouldn't be able to stop him.

Temari groaned in annoyance, _'I'd almost forgotten how cold he used to be. Cassie must have the patience of a saint to be able to bring someone like Gaara out of his shell.'_

The doorknob turned, and both of the sand-nin turned to see who was coming in.

Hale – who Gaara could no longer recognize anyway – stuck his head in the door, "Hey, Temari, could you come with me for a second? She's finally woken up."

"Really?" Temari felt relief rush over her.

"Who woke up?" asked Gaara.

Temari paused to consider her answer. She wasn't any kind of specialist, so she had no idea if just coming out and saying it would do any good at all. Eventually the blonde young woman decided he wouldn't believe her if she told him anyway. "A friend of mine is in recovery, and I'm going to go visit her. Please don't go anywhere while I'm gone, Gaara."

'_I'll leave whenever I please,'_ thought Gaara as his cold sea foam eyes watched his sister leave him alone in the tiny hospital room.

Once out of earshot Temari let out a sigh as she walked beside Cassie's brother.

"So is he going to get his memory back or not?" asked Hale out of the blue.

The question caught Temari slightly off guard, but her tired and saddened expression stayed the same, "We don't know. Sakura and Neji are both searching like crazy for some kind of cure for it before it spreads again like on Cassie, but there isn't anything we know of so far. Honestly, I didn't think you even cared that much, and with your attitude towards Gaara I would think this would be a relief for you."

"I don't care for Gaara at all, but Cassie always seemed genuinely happy with him," mumbled Hale, "For a long time a few years back Cassie would never let anyone know when she was sad or upset, hell, she'd apologies if she ever got caught looking troubled. So ever since I always worried whether Cassie was smiling because she was happy, or she was smiling because she didn't want to worry Dad and I. Then Gaara stepped in, and I noticed she started to look a lot more peaceful than normal, she started singing while she worked again, and her smile … it just seemed more genuine. If Gaara just forgets about her Cassie will go back to putting on that fake smile and she won't tell anyone how she really feels."

"That's really sweet for an older brother," Temari answered softly.

Hale scowled at the tile floor, "Of all the possible outcomes … this would be the worst. Near the end of our mother's life Cassie became the invisible girl, and all the extra meds they had mom on caused a lot of memory loss. She forgot a lot of things … even Cassie, and mom never got those memories back before she died…"

'…_Can something that particularly crushing to Cassie be happening by coincidence?'_ thought Temari as they finally reached Cassie's room door.

The raven haired girl was propped up by a couple big fluffy pillows, and she turned her head to smile at the two of them as they walked in. The fact that she wasn't in good health was very apparent. She was even paler than usual, the shadows on her face were accented from fatigue, and she had particularly dark circles around her slightly dulled green eyes.

Everyone else was already present in the room. Kankuro and Daichi occupied the two guest chairs, and Sakura and Neji were busy examining Cassie for any other possible complications.

"Her name was Faceless if any of you were wondering, the thing that was controlling by body," Cassie's weak voice was easily heard in the tense silence of the world, "she is still alive isn't she?"

No one answered, but it was painfully obvious Cassie knew the seal had been transferred to a new host, Gaara.

Despite Sakura's scolding Cassie pushed herself up so she was sitting on her own with her feet dangling over the edge of the bed, "It doesn't take long for Faceless to absorb the host's soul after she takes full control. I woke up just in time, I was _very_ lucky, but … something got all mixed up in the time when neither of us could control my body. The things I saw … I think they were her thoughts, and likewise she saw all of mine… Let me tell you, Faceless isn't a dimwit, but she has a couple damn sick thoughts. It would give you all nightmares if you _saw_ the things she's done to obtain more power."

"How much do you know about the seal?" asked Sakura who, after hours of reading through old records, was eager for answers like everyone else.

"It's a target mostly, first the seal is placed, and then Faceless can transfer bodies. Please, don't ask me how I broke the seal on my own from the inside because I honestly don't know myself. But I do know some details about Faceless that could prove very fatal to her," Cassie's eyes lifted from the floor where they'd been glued and she gave an exhausted glance to everyone, "there is a way to get rid of the seal for good, and in a sense we're very lucky because Gaara already broke her failsafe container. It was a pottery container with a bunch of containment seals on the inside, and it is her only hiding spot outside of an actual body that she has. There is no way for her to create a new one, so if I force her out again without giving her the chance to find a new host she's done for. Unfortunately there is a catch…"

Temari didn't like the sound of that, "What kind of catch?"

"To break the seal from the 'outside' I need a special scroll," explained Cassie, "and the problem is that Yang has it. Yin and Yang – the two little girls – are her puppets that she created by sacrificing the lives of children, and the ones she entrusted with her mortality. Faceless knows I've seen all of her thoughts, so it's likely the two of them are lying low. For now she is building up her power, and weakening him, she has to find a way to cause Gaara a lot of pain."

'_So she does know Gaara has the seal on his back … but does she know that his memories were erased?'_ The blonde sand-nin was only growing more concerned over the well being of her brother and friend.

"She needed to be subtle when inside my body, so she started giving me bad dreams, and bringing back every time I felt sad or hurt. Faceless hadn't decided what method she'd use with Gaara when I saw her thoughts, but she's going to choose whichever way is the best to cause him emotional pain. All she needs is control over Gaara's body, and then she'll make him fall asleep so she can spread into the Shukaku's consciousness. That way she'll have both their chakra, and even if she has to abandon the body she'll have that power. When she absorbs the host's soul she still gets to keep all the benefits, such as the Shukaku's near limitless chakra." Cassie swallowed hard, "I don't need to tell you the bad things that will happen if she takes control…"

"All hell will break loose," Kankuro groaned, "so we have to wait for this kid to show up before we can do anything about this?"

Cassie nodded, she'd become too weak again that her brother was supporting her, "They'll likely show up again when Faceless is ready to make her move, and when that happens we have to act fast."

"Looks like we may be staying here longer than expected, Neji," Sakura mumbled to the Hyuga as she forced Cassie to lie back down again. "We should send word to the Hokage."

There was nothing relaxed about the mood in the room as everyone mulled over what was going on. Temari just rubbed her temple and happened to look out the door and catch a glimpse of Gaara making his subtle exit.

The blonde didn't think before speaking, and she gave herself a mental beating afterward for it, "Gaara, you're not supposed to leave the hospital yet! Uh … oh damn…"

Gaara gave Temari one of those old, slightly cold and indifferent, stares as he stood in the doorway. If he'd had any memory whatsoever he would have noticed the hopeful green eyes staring his way, but he didn't seem to notice at all. "I have work to do, and I'm going to leave right now. Goodbye."

When Gaara turned to walk down the hallway Temari cringed. She couldn't bear to turn around and see the look on her friend's face, _'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Bad big mouth, don't blurt, just shut the hell up!'_

It was hard to describe the look on Cassie's face. For the first few seconds in was painfully obvious she was hurt by that, but it took her all of a few moments to just let her eyes fall and real emotion drain from her face. Something about that look meant she knew Gaara's loss of memory was one of the many possible things that were inevitably going to happen. Naturally, it was the most devastating to her.

"Cassie, are you ok?" Hale placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I-I think I just pushed myself a little to hard, I'm really tired right now, and I want to sleep some more if that's ok…" was her mumbled response. She wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. She just glued her eyes to the floor and allowed her hair to fall into her face.

Sakura motioned for everyone to head out, even her father and brother, "I actually recommend you sleep some more. You woke up quite soon for what we expected, and the only way to get your strength back is to rest. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

"Arigato," Cassie whispered. She watched everyone leave the room and close the door behind them. When she was sure no one was around she placed her hands over her eyes and bit her lip.

'_Don't cry, please, don't cry…'_ Truth be told, Iwate Cassandra hadn't cried since she was seven. Not even when her mother died. She always just hid herself inside her closet where she could completely detach herself from the world, and she could pretend nothing was wrong. Deep inside she hated the habit because it made her feel like a coward, but mostly she was just tired. She was tired of hiding when she was upset, she was tired of always pretending she was alright, and she was tired of being forgotten…

'_I'm such a coward … I couldn't even say anything after he walked in…'_ There were no closets to hide in, nothing to help her forget, and she could feel her eyes sting with the threat of tears. But, as Hale said once after she accidentally fell down the stairs, it was almost physically impossible for her to cry.

Once the haze in her eyes cleared she blinked and just spent the next few hours staring at her ceiling, _'So long as Faceless is inside him she can make him forget me as many times as she wants. Just outright telling him isn't going to work … I'm going to have to wait. When the twins show up again I'll get rid of her once and for all. She was able to get to him because of me, so I'm going to fix the mistake.'_

Just outside the door Temari and Sakura headed for the nearest coffee machine. Temari couldn't stop glaring daggers at the floor in front of them.

Sakura sighed, "It's not going to melt, no matter how much you glare."

"Whoever this Faceless is, she has no shame whatsoever!" Hollered Temari, who got a prompt reminder from Sakura that she was still inside a hospital, "That _thing_ planned all this out, and she is using the lowest means possible to do it. When Cassie's mom was in the hospital she forgot about her, and her dad and brother were so caught up they forgot about her too. Faceless knows it because they were in the same head, and she's using that against Cassie. She knows it is what hurts Cassie the most, and it's the best way to stop Cassie's meddling."

"I know it's cruel, and it's going to be hard, but I want you and your brother not to mention Cassie when you're around him. If Faceless can make Gaara forget once, she can do it again, or she could pull off something worse." By the tone of Sakura's voice it sounded as though she was just as frustrated as Temari. The pinkette saw what Gaara used to be like, she was nearly killed, and then she saw how much he changed after he met Cassie. Cassie was somehow able to bring Gaara out of his defensive shell and show him what love was, and suddenly Gaara was thrust right back into the shell before their very eyes. Anyone who could do that and destroy the hearts of two people like that was certainly cold, and almost inhuman.

Temari continued to scowl at her coffee, "It's not fair, he was happy, Gaara was happy with her. I actually saw him _smile_ for the first time in his life because he was with her … and now he's going to go back to the way he was before…"

Sakura sipped her coffee to try and bring back at least some of her alertness. She thought about how hard it would be for Temari to show her sibling affection toward her youngest brother. She cared deeply for Gaara as his older sister, and it was causing her a lot of pain to see all the unfortunate things happen to him. Gaara had more than his share of misfortune the moment he was born, and things only seemed to get harder.

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Gaara dug through his drawers and files. He needed proof, and he needed to see it for himself that he actually lived six months he didn't remember. He knew everyone wouldn't lie to him, but he just needed confirmation in his own mind, and he knew all the files could prove everything he'd been told.

The most recent things he'd signed were all dated in January, and it took a lot of self-restraint for him not to rip the paper in half, _'Six months, six GODDAMN months!'_

When he finished his short anger period he sat down in his chair and sighed. He rubbed his temples for a few moments trying to think as hard as he could to see if he could remember anything, but he was drawing nothing but blanks.

'_Other than some sort of battle, what could have happened?'_ he wondered for quite some time. Eventually he just shook his head at himself, _'I'm being stupid. It's likely that life went on as usual until the point I was attacked, and the memories will probably return soon. I'm the Kazekage, it's my job to protect this village, and I can't do that if I'm worrying over a little amnesia… It's not like I forgot something Temari and Kankuro couldn't tell me anyway … right?'_

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**Ouch, that was slightly cold for poor Cassie. (Sigh) Gaara you clueless little boy, don't you realize lots of people love you? (Points to hoard of crazed fangirls reading the story.) Uh, I've had so much fun writing his new gentle side, and now I've got to go back to writing cold Gaara again … (sigh). **

**Oh well! Maybe the more you guys review the faster his memory will come back!**

**Starchip13**

**To my reviewers:**

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** (Hugs) Aw poor Courtney-chan, I hope you get to feeling better soon! I just got over being sick too (thus the delay on the chapter). I hope the new chapter helps make you feel better, a good dose of Gaara-fangirl-medicine always cheers me up!

**TheStarsDarkness-** Well, here is the chapter (don't want to be responsible for random deaths now do I?) Enjoy!!!

**Kinky-Kitsune-** Teehee, I've been told I'm evil I assure you! How else would you explain the bag of souls under my bed? Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the brain child of my very evil mind!

**EyesLikeIce-** Well you reviewed now, and that's what counts! So throw away the emo tears and come skip with me in celebration of my updating!!

**AnimeLover613-** (Anime sweat drop) …Believe me, I've seen a lot in reviews, and among the Gaara fangirls you fit right in! Love the review, and thanks for taking the time to read the story (I know its long). I look forward to more reviews!

**Spiritookami-** Glad you think it's a good plot point, I was worried it would be a little to cliché. Keep reviewing!!

**HieiNeko-** (Hides behind laptop in fear) Ah, the anger, it buuuurrrnnnsss!!! I'm sorry but this bit has been a plot point I've planned on since chapter one and he may not get his memory back for a few chapters… (Dodges sharp/flaming objects) please, don't hurt me! I'm just a slave to the odd ideas in my strange little mind!!

**Chrosis-** All reviews are unique, and I can usually tell which review is which if they are a regular reader. I love them all so keep it up!

**xxKKxx**- I will write as fast as I can! In fact I write so often my typing has improved quite a bit! If I sit down with good inspiration and so distractions I can write a six or seven page chapter in a few hours!

**Eddi-** You got it!

**White Alchemist Taya-** Its sad isn't it? How will it all work out? Well, you just have to keep reviewing and find out won't you!

**OnyxTears-** Whoa … can I have a marshmallow too??? We'll make a BBQ out of it and get Kankuro to bring cute baby pictures of Gaara-kun! _Kankuro_: Cool! Marshmallows and embarrassing baby pictures! _Gaara_: No way in hell!!!

**Pinguina-** Eh, try writing it (shaking from coffee fix) I think I have my keyboard attached to my fingers…

**xBubblesx3o18x-** (Joins in sobbing) It's especially sad that its depressing me … I'm writing the damn thing! (Nervous laughter) does that make me a freak or what?

**-Asa-Hoshi-** …Sometimes I can't tell if I'm getting love or death threats in reviews… (Shrugs) Oh well! (Continues obliviously writing while drinking coffee)

**XXmyXorochimaruXX-** I do too, I do too…

**Miah The Storm Wolf-** Not so much after Cassie explains it. Faceless needs to control the body before she can control the Shukaku, and she also needed to find a way to get Cassie to stop getting in the way. In Faceless's mind it's hitting two birds with one stone, but we know Cassie won't give up!!!

**Baka Hanyou Rahvin-** (Sits in corner laughing evilly) Shhhh!!! I'm thinking of ways to skewer and/or kill Faceless!!!

**Avidreader101-** It made me try too! There were tears all over the keyboard … ok I swear I'm not a freak! Please men in white, I need the laptop, I will go in the bouncy room later!!


	36. Reluctant Assistant

**Chapter #36**

**Reluctant Assistant**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Just updating before I go to my dad's for the weekend. I think I'm going back into my old habit of once weekly updates, but expect more during March break!**

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"Gaara, come on, you can't just leave the hospital like that when you're still supposed to be under observation!" Both Temari and Kankuro took to following Gaara around a lot over the past two days in an attempt to try and get him to go back for more examinations. Not only that but with Sakura around he was more or less forced to actually co-operate in mini check ups several times a day.

They seemed reluctant to tell him any details about what was going on. From what he was able to pick up in their conversations he'd apparently had some kind of seal put on his back that could be dangerous if it was allowed to spread. That much he could understand and learn to deal with. What was getting on his nerves was the fact that no one would tell him specifically how he got it or even how it worked – that part he guessed they didn't really know much anyway.

Hyuga Neji was forced to return to Konoha – being an ANBU captain and all – but Sakura insisted she stay. Neji announced he would inform the Hokage of the situation – whatever the hell it was – and have someone else sent back to replace him.

The moments he had away from the people that buzzed around him like insects he was stuck in his office sorting through a number of documents and missions that just seemed to pile up at times when it was most inconvenient.

With everything just piling up on him Gaara decided to bring in some help. It wouldn't be a big deal, just a lower or middle ranked ninja who would be able to sort through all the little stuff that cluttered his desk. That way he could still get everything he needed done out of the way despite the fact that everyone was suddenly on his back. So explains why Gaara was expertly tuning out the sound of Temari's voice as he sorted through the files of the Chunin that weren't currently teaching at the academy or missions. It was a busy month no it was a relatively slim pile.

With a sigh Gaara opened another file and read the name, _'…Chunin rank, eighteen years old, lots of C and B ranked missions under his belt, and name … Iwate Hale…'_

Gaara blinked at the picture of the boy looking out from the picture. His eyes were light brown, almost green, and were pretty wide for a guy, or at least that was the parts of the eyes that weren't mopped with dark – almost black – hair. At first glance there was nothing about him that really caught Gaara's attention, but for some reason he almost looked familiar.

'_I've seen him before…'_ Gaara closed his eyes and thought hard for a few minutes before it came to him, _'The last thing I remember is assigning a mission to a small group of Chunin, and he was one of them. I'm sure of it.'_

There was still something Gaara felt he was forgetting, but he dismissed it. Gaara just thought about the fact that Hale, whoever he was, was the only Chunin available that Gaara recalled seeing last. It was probably a stupid little hunch, but he thought maybe Gaara could trigger something by assigning the task to the boy. It was a slim chance, but there could be a chance he could remember _something_ that happened after he left his office that night and if not he was still getting all his files sorted. It was a win, win, situation.

Temari finally groaned in annoyance when she began to run out of steam for her ranting, "How much of that did you actually hear?"

Gaara shrugged absently. He only sensed a question, but he didn't hear it, his eyes were still to busy scanning over Hale's file.

"I want you to bring this Chunin here to help me with some filing," Gaara ordered flatly as he handed the file – picture and all – to Temari.

The blonde sibling bit her lip as she looked at the picture, "You know, if you need filing done you could always just ask Kankuro or I to help you."

"No, I need you and Kankuro to do other missions, you're skills are more in demand," responded Gaara, completely uninterested in the concern on Temari's face, "The chunin will be fine. He's done some filing assignments before anyway."

Temari nodded and left the room.

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That same day Cassie left the hospital. She checked herself out because she was sick and tired of staring at the IV in her hand for countless hours. There was no one around to stop her since her family was forced to go back to work, Neji left for Konoha, and Sakura was off checking up on Gaara for about the third time that day.

She walked home slowly, and arrived to an empty house, with the exception of Kobi and Cori who were overjoyed to see her.

Cori licked at her master's face lovingly and Kobi snuggled up against her side.

"You guys were really worried about me too, huh?" she smiled and returned the love her beloved pets were giving her, "I love you two so much."

After caring for her dogs accordingly Cassie made her way to the phone and dialed up the number to the animal shelter. After two rings Gina answered the phone, "Suna Humane Society, how may I help you?"

"Hello, Gina, its Cassie calling. Do you mind if I ask you a favor?"

There was a slight pause on the other end, "…The caller ID says you're at the house. Don't tell me you left the hospital, Cassie-chan."

Cassie resisted the urge to snort, "You almost sound worried."

"Oh, give it a rest, just because I don't like you doesn't mean I can't be worried if you leave the hospital before you're supposed to, I'm not heartless," the fact that Gina was most likely pouting on the other end was evident. "What did you want?"

"Call my dad at the restaurant and tell him I'm not at the hospital, please do the same for Sakura-chan, you can leave a message for her at the hospital. I also want you to tell Fukui-san I'll be at work early tomorrow to open up the shelter."

"Work?! You aren't even supposed to be out of the hospital yet for Kami's sake. Mom and Daichi will have my head!"

'_Its amazing how she can be caring and self-centered at the same time…'_ Cassie rubbed her temples tiredly, "Look, I'm asking you to make these calls for me because I'm going strait to bed. I'll get another night's sleep and I'll be good for work tomorrow. Please, Gina, I need this favor. I can't stand just laying in a hospital anymore when there is so much else to do, I need to do something or I'm going to go mental, do you get it?"

"…Fine, but if anyone asks why the sick girl is doing hard labor I'm pointing the finger at you."

"Filling food dishes and grooming dogs doesn't count as hard labor," mumbled Cassie, "Goodbye, Gina."

"Bye."

Cassie lied about going strait to bed. No one would be home for hours, and she saw it as the perfect opportunity to start fulfilling her New Year's resolution. She'd be able to get a lot of training out of the way, shower, and be in bed before anyone got home.

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Hale wasn't happy in the least as he walked down the hall with Temari, "Why did he choose _me_?"

"You are one of the few available Chunin, and I think he recognized you from that mission he assigned. It's the last thing he remembers after all," shrugged Kankuro.

"You don't get it," hissed Hale, "I'm not sure if I can be in the same room as him right now! Every time I look at him it reminds me of the look on my sister's face. It's going to make me loose it!"

Kankuro gave Hale a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "But you know what will happen if you start with the ranting don't you? Sakura thinks it's likely he'll get even worse, or the stress will allow that seal to grow. So for the sake of your sister, at least try and keep your cool will you?"

Easier said than done. Hale had to try and force his face to look a little more relaxed, but he came out with some odd expression that made even Kankuro slightly nervous. Luckily he was able to buckle down the calmest expression he could manage before they reached the door and knocked. When they were allowed inside Hale gritted his teeth and tried to continue the expression at the same time.

Gaara looked up absently for a moment before going back to the large pile of paperwork on his desk, "I have some D ranked mission reports that need to be reviewed, and lots of mission requests that need to be sorted as soon as possible. You're desk is over there."

With a small ridged nod Hale took a seat in the smaller desk a little off to the side that was already set up for him.

'_Goddamn, this is as awkward as a three legged horse,'_ Hale thought some hours later as he continued to work his way through the documents. After such a long amount of time he barely made more than a dent in the amount of work that still needed to be done, and on top of that he could almost feel Gaara's eyes glance over to him every now and then. What creeped him out about that was that Gaara could have been thinking anything. He wasn't sure if he was just checking up on Hale's work, or if he was trying to remember.

A knock came at the door and the secretary who sat answering phones all day walked in, "Iwate-san, you just got a message, apparently your sister checked herself out of the hospital this morning. She headed home a little while ago."

_Thud._

Gaara glanced at Hale who let his head hit his desk, and it was a pretty loud thud too.

"A-arigato," Hale grumbled as he massaged the place on his forehead where he hit the desk. He began muttering a string of curses under his breath. Gaara didn't catch much of it, just bits and peaces about stubbornness, and hitting whoever allowed his sister to just leave.

It was not like Gaara was curious or anything when he saw what was going on. All he thought about was the fact that he'd have to continue doing the work himself if Hale just got up and left.

"Gomenasai Kazekage-sama," Hale slowly got to his feet, the part where he apologized sounded forced. "I have to go talk some sense into someone."

There was nothing Gaara could say so he just nodded and allowed the Chunin to leave. Hale was in such a hurry he didn't notice the Kazekage very nearly got to his feet as well.

'_Why did I nearly follow him?'_ thought a slightly confused Gaara, _'His family matters are none of by business, but…'_

He had a slight feeling a déjà vu when he thought about not caring about Iwate Hale's 'family'. There were usually faint things that would cause those feelings, but there were some things more than others. Like when he saw Hale's picture … it was like … he was searching for eyes similar to Hale's…

Gaara closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands. His brow furrowed as he tried to picture those eyes. He could imagine them being large like children's eyes, full of spirit, and always smiling, and they'd be … green, yes, they'd be deep dark green. He thought about it for a few minutes until he could see a pair of childish feminine eyes staring back at him through his mind's eye.

'_Uh,'_ Gaara gave a groan of annoyance, _'I definitely need a break if I'm trying to imagine a pair of eyes. This is just insane … but why does it seem familiar…?'_

Still shaking his head at his own stupidity Gaara got up out of his chair and went out for a walk and something to drink. He needed to clear his head if he was going to get any work done.

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**Grr, come on Gaara get a clue, hurry it up!! _Gaara:_ You're the one writing the story! _Star:_ I know, I know, but it makes me so sad. _Gaara:_ You're not the one who gets amnesia. _Star:_ Case, and point…**

**Starchip13**

**To my beloved reviewers:**

**Berries-R-Blue-** (Bows) Uh, I'm very sorry to say this, but you may have to wait a few chapters before Gaara's memory comes back…

**Kjk123-** Hehe, no problem! All hail the SPORK!!!

**Empress-Dragon-** (Offers a blanket) don't worry, the ice storm will pass eventually. Gaara seems to remember _something_ but he's mostly in denial…

**The Norwegian Dragon-** Don't blame Gaara, blame Faceless, it's her fault!! _Faceless:_ I swear, one more comment like that and I am SO out of here!

**Ali of the Desert-** (Sits in corner eating cookie) give your friend a hug for me! I hope she feels better soon.

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** Glad your feeling better!

**OnyxTears-** Whoa, you're twisted … hehe but then again what fangirl in her right mind isn't?! Rock on, annoy people to no end!!

**TheStarsDarkness-** (Starts screaming with you) Teehee yelling is fun!

**Inu Youkai Yume-** Just think of yet another chapter without Gaara's memory a punishment for rubbing it in. Ha, we're even now! I'm going to be going somewhere warm this summer anyway (we haven't decide yet) so maybe I'll finally be able to get some colour … I'm so pale…

**AnimeAdic-** (Gives you a _Proud to be a Gaara Fangirl_ pin) because you know you want one!!

**Jiru-Dea-Shi-Mai-Ryu-** You'll just have to keep reading to find out

**Pinguina- **I never thought about it like that but I guess it is like a toned down soap opera… Shrug, well at least I know there is never a dull moment! _Cassie:_ Ya, but if long lost twins start showing up I am so out of here

**Baka Hanyou Rahvin-** (chibi eyes) it's like a novel? Teehee (dances) ok now I am so proud of myself! Sorry but it might be a few chapters before any butt kicking happens!

**AnimeLover613-** _Faceless:_ OMG WTF?!?! Man, star, I swear I'm gonna get you for making me so evil! I've got people out to get me now! _Star:_ … (Hides stuffed animal behind back) ano… sorry about that old pal _Faceless:_ This is the last time I let you use me in a Fanfic! You fangirls are nuts!

**SpiritooKami-** Pst!! Guess what! There are a few filler chapters before more good stuff comes up!

**White Alchemist Taya-** Of course Gaara is strong! I can't tell you what will happen because it would be a suck ass spoiler, but I can tell you the finale will be good! Gaara and Cassie will kick ass!!

**Eddi-** Problem children can't be helped … I kid, I kid!! When I say problem children I am mostly referring to me!

**Kinky-Kitsune-** Nah, I keep the hearts of my enemies in jars!! That includes the hearts of a few flight attendants, and the last person that made a crack about manga (and Gaara).

**Avidreader-** …hey I'm not telling! No spoilers for you!!!


	37. Happy Birthday

**Chapter #37**

**Happy Birthday**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Happy dance) HELL YA, MARCH BREAK IS FINALLY HERE! Teehee, not that I have been in school much for the past while anyway, there was a record for consecutive snow days where I am! I had two days of school this week!!**

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"You learn amazingly fast, Cassie-chan, I am very impressed with your progress!" Being the Green Beast meant he was a little out of his element in the desert, but Lee seemed to be able to adapt to almost anything after a short period of time. Within less than an hour he was easily able to maneuver easily on the sandy ground, which meant he could turn at the drop of a dime without sliding four feet while doing it.

Rock Lee arrived several days before along with Uchiha Sasuke – much to Sakura's delight – who took Neji's place in monitoring the seal. Sasuke and Sakura stayed at a local hotel while Lee stayed at the Iwate household. No matter how many times Lee said he could also get a room at a hotel as well – seeing the lack of space at the house – Daichi assured him that the couch could be pulled out into a bed for him.

During the day Lee was assigned to help out Sasuke and Sakura, but in the evening he would always disappear along with Cassie.

Cassie panted and tucked some loose hair back in her ponytail before taking her stance again, "It's just like riding a bike, you never really forget."

Most people would say that anyone that would willingly accept Lee's insane training is insane themselves. But then again, when that person's former sensei was Maito Gai it was certainly not a big leap. There was no arguing Lee was enthusiastic about accepting the job, he would always have lots of praise for her, and he would always know the appropriate time to stop for the day. He knew after all that Cassie also had her job along with cleaning and cooking.

'_I'm already up to my old standards…'_ Cassie felt somewhat proud of herself for bouncing back so quickly, and in her mind it was due to the very familiar teaching style Lee used.

- Flashback -

_Cassie didn't like sneaking out of the house. It wasn't that she had a problem with training. It was because her brother became paranoid ever since she left the hospital, and her disappearing was making it worse. Not that it stopped her because every day around the same time she'd arrive at the old Suna training grounds to hone her old skills._

_She was in the middle of building up her former stamina by going through as many drills as she could. That is until she slipped – sand was terrible for balance – and ended up on her butt. For a rest she stayed there for a few seconds and stared up at the bright desert sky. _

"_I had a feeling you would be here, Cassie-chan," a familiar hand offered her assistance to get up again, "You certainly have not changed a bit."_

_Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin, "Lee-kun! When did you…?"_

_Lee gave a warm smile, "I arrived here just this morning! When my rival, Neji, returned with the news I volunteered to come and help. I was very worried about what happened to you, Cassie-chan."_

"_Arigato," Cassie sighed, "So how long have you been watching? You must think I'm a joke … it's just been so long since I've trained like this…"_

"_I would think so such thing! You're working so hard, and I would never discourage you in any way!" Lee reassured her with a grin and a good guy pose, "You have always been able to do anything if you put your mind to it!"_

'_He's like a little kid,' Cassie gave a small laugh when she realized they were a lot alike. Being a puny girl she'd always had a harder time building up strength and speed in her academy days, but when you're related to someone like Gai … well, some things are bound to rub off. "Um … Lee could I ask you a big favor?"_

"_Anything!"_

_Biting her lip Cassie paused before blurting out, "Could you teach me?"_

_Lee didn't look like he believed his own ears for a moment, but when a big grin suddenly appeared on his face Cassie felt a little relieved. "Of course, Cassie-chan, I would love nothing better to have you as my student!"_

"_It's not too much trouble?"_

"_No, not in the least, you could never cause me any trouble, Cassie-chan! I am absolutely delighted and honored you asked me!"_

- End Flashback -

And that brings us to the present, several days later, when the Cassie was seeing major progress in her fighting. Being much smaller and slight of build they didn't expect Cassie could ever reach Lee's speeds, but she was able to get amazingly close. Then there was the fact that Cassie's chakra control was excellent, and Lee would always be willing to be her sparing partner to practice her techniques.

Cassie gave a small smile and stopped to stretch her stiff arms. It was hard, but her body was slowly becoming re-accustomed to difficult and lengthy training sessions.

"Something is bothering you, Cassie-chan." Lee's statement caught Cassie completely off guard.

"W-what makes you say that?" asked Cassie nervously.

Lee shrugged, "You're smile seems … sad."

With a small sigh Cassie rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Gomenasai, I'm making you worry. Please, don't worry about me Lee-kun. I'm fine, I promise!"

"It is ok to feel sad," Lee placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "You have always been strong, and not allowed others to worry about you, but it is ok if you feel sad… No one would blame you."

When Lee was told about the situation by Neji back in Konoha he expected Cassie to act like she was. They trained together as kids with Gai, and no matter how bad things were at home with her mother being sick she would train and smile like nothing was wrong. The fact that she was so bottled up made her an unpredictable fighter, and she would train or do something constructive whenever she was upset.

"But everything will work out in the end, you'll see, and that's why I want to train so badly! When something bad happens this time I have to be able to protect myself and others," her voice was full of genuine determination, but it was still obvious to Lee that being forgotten was killing her on the inside. "Lee-kun, I don't want you to worry about me, ok? And … I feel kind of bad for asking this of you after all you've done already, but I have another small favor to ask of you…"

"Ask anything you want."

"…Could you please drop something off for me later?"

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Another long day and Gaara headed home well after midnight when everyone else was asleep. He was a little glad for it too because that meant it was less likely someone would be pestering him. Wouldn't be up to force him into another check-up, neither of his siblings would be fussing or giving him odd looks, and Lee wouldn't be jumping around rambling about the power of youth. He finally had some peace and quiet, and Gaara was going to enjoy every moment of it while it lasted.

He retreated to his room where he removed his gourd and Kazekage robes. Gaara stretched out his stiff muscles and lay down on the bed. He didn't need any sleep, but that didn't mean he couldn't relax on a nice soft bed for a while just to recharge.

Everything was starting to make his patience wear thin. With everyone making such a big deal over him he was getting tired and starting to crave a little alone time, but every time he stopped to close his eyes and think he'd start getting weird little visions. Things that made no sense whatsoever, things that he felt like he _should_ remember.

There would always be someone there, a girl, but he could never really see her face. She would reach out to him, and she would sound so happy and carefree, but every time he reached out to her in return she would just fade away.

Gaara's hand hit his face, _'I'm loosing it … I just know it.'_

Giving up on getting any rest Gaara got out of his bed and sat at his desk, and in doing so he noticed something was placed there. A small white package sitting on top of a CD with a little note attached to it:

_Gaara, _

_Happy Birthday_

That was all it said. There was no name, and he didn't even recognize the handwriting. In fact he didn't even realize until he read it that it was already January nineteenth. The fact that six months were missing out of his life really messed up his perception of time…

It wasn't like birthdays were normally pleasant for Gaara anyway. In the past people were more hostile than usual towards him on the day because it was also the anniversary of the day the 'curse' of his demon was brought upon the village. After returning from the Chunin exams his siblings started wishing him a happy birthday, and they'd give him a small present, but they generally avoided making a big deal out of it ever since he declared that he hated birthdays. Currently speaking his birthday was all but forgotten, and was generally like every day.

"_You up for twenty questions?" _

'_I wonder who…'_ thought Gaara as he stared at the writing on the note.

"_What's your favourite food?"_

Gaara opened the lid of the box and found a small cake – like one of the mini ones you can get at a restaurant. It looked homemade, and it had white frosting with a big strawberry on top.

"_Strawberries."_

After blinking a few times Gaara tried to shake the voice out of his mind. It almost amazed him the stupid things that set off the odd hallucinations, _'Why is it that even strawberries set me off now?'_

To try and not provoke any more strange voices Gaara turned to the CD that was with the little cake. He opened the CD and turned to a seldom used CD player so he could see what was on it. Yes, something like a CD player is seems like a very odd thing for Gaara to own, and he wasn't all that into music anyway, but it was a very old present from Temari and it collected dust more than became of use. The batteries in it were still the very first set he had put in it and they hadn't run out yet.

Gaara put one of the small earpieces in his ear and hit play. Piano music played softly into Gaara's ear, and it was a soft almost sad sounding song that sounded familiar…

"_It's called the Moonlight Sonata, if you were wondering, it's by Beethoven…"_

The redhead promptly skipped to the next song. It was also piano music, but this time it was accompanying a sweet female voice. That song wasn't much better either because that voice was strikingly similar to the one in Gaara's mind. Eventually he gave up on the CD altogether and set it aside.

(A/N: _Every Time We Touch_ by Cascada, if you remember it was the song Cassie was working in earlier chapters.)

Instead of even bothering with the CD any further Gaara decided he'd go put the little cake in the fridge so he could eat it later. It was much too late – or early in this case – to be eating something so sweet.

"Hey bro," Kankuro walked in the kitchen with a tired slouched posture. He'd come downstairs for something to drink and a little late night snack.

"Did anyone drop this off earlier?" asked Gaara and showed the little cake to his older brother. He was still very curious about the person who left it.

Kankuro shook his head as he read the little note, "Not that I know of … hey do you think you've got an admirer there bro?"

It was very tempting to role his eyes, but Gaara had good self control so he was able to stop himself. He often found it hard to take his brother seriously when he talked like that, but Gaara was stuck with him so he more or less just tuned out the stupid comments. Gaara didn't actually think anyone would be capable of loving _him._

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**Yay, Happy Birthday Gaara! Wasn't that nice of Lee to drop the present off? Ok, since Gaara started out 18 in the beginning now he's 19. In case you were all wondering Cassie's birthday is April 4th so in a few months she will be 17. I keep profiles on all my OC characters so I never forget descriptions!**

**Ah! Its killing me to go back and constantly search for good 'Cassie' quotes! I didn't realize how long (and full of errors) this story got. The original plan in my notebook put it roughly around 100 pages (standard _Word_ page size) and it is now over 220 pages (again, talking _Word_ terms here), including the chapters in progress! (Faints) **

**Starchip13**

**To my reviewers:**

**Magikme13-** I completely agree, and I promise to keep updating regularly!! (SPORK!!)

**Empress-Dragon-** Hehe, poor Gaara, just imagine how he feels, but if you want to try and put him in a corner go right ahead. I'll be standing _way_ over here with an umbrella… Don't worry, with a little patience Gaara will get his memory back in no time!

**Avidreader101-** Cha, not going to tell you!!! He put it somewhere special, and it will _eventually_ turn up again. You just have to wait (cackles manically in corner) and leave another review!

**White Alchemist Taya- **(Rubs back of head and laughs nervously) let's just say I suck at writing tragedies – they piss me off and I can never go through with them. I am a happy person, I don't do depressing … that probably explains why I hate writing amnesia-Gaara so much…

**Chrosis-** Sorry, sorry, there are just so many reviews (a very good thing) that sometimes I miss some (cries). And as for Shukaku (turns on 'fangirl cam' and shows Shukaku giggling like an idiot inside Gaara's head) he's a little preoccupied right now… _Shukaku:_ Are you kidding? This is more entertaining than a soap opera! I'm kicking back and watching this for as long as I can!

**USDA-Certified Organic (nanotech)-** (sigh) they did didn't they? Thanks for reviewing!

**The Norwegian Dragon-** Well when you tell a person to think of something (like a Spork for instance) you automatically picture it in your mind. Gaara almost couldn't help it so he was more or less tricked. (Pats Gaara on head) there, there, it will be ok!!

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** Thanks for the pics, your niece is _so_ kawaii!!! She's so young and already corrupted into a Gaara fan, you should be proud! (My camera is being a pain so it might take a while before I can send any good pictures back.)

**Kinky-kitsune-** Eh, no reason for the fight attendants really, it's kind of an ongoing joke I have with my friends that would take forever to explain. As for the people who insult my manga (screams) you wouldn't believe how many people ask me why I'm reading 'Sailor Moon'! Naruto book covers look _nothing_ like sailor moon!

**Alie of the Desert-** Hehe, you spoil me with your cookies. Glad to hear your friend is doing ok, that's really good to hear!

**Lee-All-The-Way-** It's all good, take your time reading it, you enjoy it better that way! I'm happy for all your reviews!

**Berries-R-Blue-** No it wouldn't now would it? (Gives out cookies) here is something to make you feel better until I update again!

**Miraki Azumi-** XD

**AnimeLover613-** (Triumphant laugh) Too bad Faceless you don't make your next appearance quite yet so you'll just have to stay in the basement until I tell you to come out. If you don't listen you'll be mauled by rabid fangirls do you understand. _Faceless:_ T.T' Whatever…

**TheStarsDarkness-** Hehe, wouldn't want you to go crazy now would I?


	38. Where is Cori?

**Chapter #38**

**Where is Cori?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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Cassandra found herself very quickly beginning to hate mornings, along with most of the day. Other than her training sessions with Lee she didn't really seem very alive. It was like the lights were on but no one was home. She'd walk around with a vacant smile and a blank look in her eyes, do her normal chores, and go to work. The whole while she didn't even talk unless someone asked her a question directly, and even then she seemed to lack something in her voice. Even Gina found it useless to even try and talk to her anymore.

A few days after asking Lee to drop the package off at Gaara's things were still going by slowly. After pulling herself out of bed and pulling a random combination of cloths from her closet she quickly showered and stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth.

Ever since she walked out of the hospital her family learned to deal with the fact that she wasn't going to just sit back. She needed to do something, but that didn't mean they weren't going to keep an extra close eye on her to make sure she didn't overdo it. Even Lee was making sure she wasn't overexerting herself during training.

Cassie's stomach suddenly lurched and she instinctively leaned over the sink in case she got sick. It was so sudden she barely even had time to think before waves of nausea hit her. If she'd eaten breakfast before then she would have certainly thrown up.

'_Just great, on top of everything I'm starting to get sick,'_ thought Cassie with a groan of annoyance. She had to wait through a few minutes of deep breathing before she could go downstairs and get ready to head to work.

She grabbed a piece of toast to help calm her stomach and poured more dog food into the dishes while she was in the kitchen. Kobi came trotting into the room at the sound, but Cori was mysteriously absent.

'_Damn, I don't have time to look for her, I need to get to work…'_ thought the dark haired teen as she bit her lip. Even though she would have much rather look for her dog herself Cassie wrote a quick note to her brother asking him to make sure he found Cori before he went to work. It would have to do because with her nearly getting sick in the bathroom she was starting to run behind schedule.

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Gaara wondered around Suna that afternoon with nothing better to do. After several long days of work he finally had his one day off, and quite frankly he was bored. What else was he going to do anyway? He was tired of reading, he'd already been training, no one was around the house - Gaara preferred being alone anyway - because of the day's missions, and there were no other tasks that needed to be done.

He walked around like a ghost, no one paying him much mind, and he preferred that to people just running away from him. Over the years people still feared him, but at least now they could stand his existence, or rather they were forced to when he became the new Kazekage.

"_You don't have to be lonely you know."_

The young Kazekage scowled, _'I'm not lonely, I don't need anyone…'_

The voice in his mind was really beginning to be a problem, and he felt he got way too distracted as of lately whenever he heard it, but then again … at the same time it was oddly comforting. That voice was always sweet, soft, and – dare he say it – almost loving.

"Ruff!" A dog's cold nose nuzzling against Gaara's hand pulled him out of his deep thoughts. He wasn't sure what was weirder, the fact that the dog was acting friendly towards him, or the fact that the dog looked familiar.

The tag attached to the collar read the name 'Cori' which also sounded very vaguely familiar, _'Now I'm thinking a dog looks familiar… This is just starting to get maybe just a little sad…'_

Cori gave Gaara's sleeve a small tug before she ran a few yards ahead of him. She turned and barked at him a few times while wagging her tail anxiously.

'_She wants me to follow.'_ Gaara considered just turning around and heading home, why would he care about some stupid dog anyway? The only reason he did end up following was for two reasons, one being that Gaara was still genuinely bored, and two was that he really was curious.

He ended up following her half way across the village, and the dog was pretty eager to make him hurry up about it. The dog was a lot faster than he expected so it was actually a little bit of a challenge to keep up with the animal. She didn't stop until she'd led Gaara all the way to the pet shelter.

Cori sat in front of the door, her tail thumping against the ground and raising dust, and pawed at the door as Gaara walked up. Gaara pushed open the door for the dog and it ran inside, barking happily, and jumping all over the girl sitting at the front desk.

"Cori? What are you doing here? How did you get out of the house," the blonde asked as she tried to calm the dog. Not long after her eyes moved up to Gaara and she froze like a statue, "O-oh, uh, k-konichiwa Kazekage-sama... W-what brings you here?"

"The dog wouldn't leave me alone," Gaara stated flatly.

"Oh, I am so sorry about that Kazekage-sama!" The blonde girl forced a laugh, "She's my friend's dog, and I guess she got loose! I'll just go take her to the back! Thank you for bringing her back Kazekage-sama."

The fact that she was afraid of him was embarrassingly obvious, but somehow he could sense another reason behind the girl's extreme surprise.

'_He came here but he still doesn't remember what happened with Cassie,'_ Gina bit her lip as she led Cori into the back. _'Shit, if she sees him she's going to get all depressing again, and then she'll start making me feel sorry for her… Damn, things were easier when we just hated each other's guts!'_

"Chiba-san," Fukui Daiki walked out of his examination room after giving a litter of kittens, "What's Cori doing here?"

(A/N: I'm not sure if it was mentioned before but Gina's full name is Chiba Gina. Just so that's clear.)

"Thank Kami, Fukui-san I need you to put Cori in one of the cages and could you please make sure Cassie stays in the back until I say the coast is clear?" asked Gina frantically.

Daiki took Cori by the collar, "What's this all about?"

"You've been told about what happened after we got back from Konohagakure right? Well we have a big problem! Gaara-sama followed Cori without knowing it, and he's out front right now. If Cassie sees Gaara-sama and he just walks away like he doesn't know her then she'll get all depressed again," explained Gina. She looked at her boss with pleading eyes, but of course it wasn't necessary, Daiki was too nice a guy to say no to that kind of request.

"You don't have to worry about it," Daiki nodded with a confident smile, "just make sure he doesn't come in the back."

'_Why am I working so hard to help Cassie of all people,'_ Gina sighed with an inward shrug, _'I'm getting soft … hey wait, why didn't I make Daiki deal with Gaara?! Ah! I don't want to be near him, his stare scares the hell out of me!'_

Gaara was still standing out in the waiting area by the front desk when Gina returned and took her place behind the desk, "I-Is there anything you needed, Kazekage-sama?"

"No."

Queue awkward silence…

'_If he doesn't want anything then why is he still here?'_ thought Gina with a slight twitch of her eyebrow. She studied that face of his, and even though he rarely changed expressions it looked like he was deep in thought. He wasn't even staring at Gina, his eyes were just dully scanning the area around him, taking it in, trying to fill in missing pieces of a puzzle. Gina almost felt sorry for the man, almost, and she was sure she'd be frustrated if she had his problem.

"Did you want to take a look around, Kazekage-sama?" asked Gina hesitantly.

Gaara shook his head and turned to leave, "That won't be necessary, goodbye."

As soon as he was out of sight Gina collapsed into her chair with a long exasperated sigh, "Damn it, Cassie do you ever owe me big!"

In the back Cassie was finishing grooming the dogs, and as she put one of the large dogs back in its cage and went to put back her supplies Daiki walked in with Cori who bounced happily over to her. She knelt down to pet the dog, getting covered in a million kisses in the process.

"A nice man found her and brought her back here. Now, isn't that fortunate?" chuckle Daiki, he scratched the back of his head and a small smile.

"She was missing this morning, but I knew she'd come back to me one way or another," Cassie thoughtfully scratched Cori's ear, "plus she'd be at a total loss without her brother. He's the brawn after all, and she's the brain."

'_She does seem so sad lately,'_ Daiki's brows drew together somewhat, but not enough that could really be noticed, "The back needs to be cleaned out as well, are you going to take care of that next?"

"Of course, right away."

'_It's so unlike Iwate-san, she's usually so cheery, and she was always like a little ball of sunshine when I was feeling depressed… It definitely has something to do with the Kazekage, even if he tried to kill her half a dozen times, she would be kind like he was any other person… I've never met anyone as kind as her…'_ Daiki followed Cassie out back and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "Iwate-san, do you feel well?"

She looked a little surprised by the question, but she just smiled, it was an empty smile, "I feel fine, Fukui-san. Why do you ask?"

"You look a little pale this morning. Are you sure you're not feeling sick?"

"No…" Daiki's eyes bored into Cassie's with a stern 'don't you lie to me' look, and she let out a small sigh of defeat, "Gomenasai, I felt a little sick this morning and I couldn't eat. I feel fine now, honest, it's just I haven't had time to eat quite yet. My lunch break isn't for another hour."

There was barely even a second's pause before Daiki responded, "Go eat, I don't mind if you take a lunch break a little early. The cleaning can wait."

"But Fukui-san-"

"Go." Daiki ordered firmly, pointing to the door, "If you don't have the energy to work then you won't do a good job."

She didn't want to show it, but Cassie couldn't help it. She felt like she was burdening others by feeling so sad, and he was making everyone worry, but even if she smiled she couldn't erased the fact that she missed Gaara. It was something that couldn't be helped…

Daiki sighed and placed a hand on Cassie's head making her jump a little, "You don't have to bottle things up you know. You can always talk to me, Cassandra."

It was a little surprising he'd used her first name, but it'd always been obvious he was just another one of those people that would be there for Cassandra. Cassandra didn't like leaning on people, but it was nice knowing that someone was there. "Thanks Daiki, you're a good friend to have."

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There was still something Gaara felt he was missing when he was standing inside the animal shelter. Something inside of him was calling him a big idiot for not seeing it, and it wasn't the Shukaku. He didn't want to leave, but then again he wasn't about to stay standing around like an idiot without an excuse to even be there. So he decided to investigate, even if it was just a stupid feeling of déjà vu, he needed to find out what he forgot because he knew he was missing something important.

Gaara went around back to where there was a fenced in area for all the dogs in the kennel set up. He could vaguely hear voices inside through the window, but he could only catch bits and pieces of what they were saying. All he really knew was that it was a conversation between a guy and a girl…

The back door opened, and someone stepped out. A young girl with nearly shoulder length black hair… She turned, she was talking to a man, and Gaara could clearly see her face. She had a rounded almost child-like face, rather pale skin for someone who lived in the desert, and the largest deep green eyes he'd ever seen in his life.

Gaara's hand rested on his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly, _'My heart… I feel like I've seen her … somewhere…'_

The dark haired girl continued talking to the man with a calm smile, but Gaara couldn't hear any of the conversation. He was to preoccupied studying the girl's face, trying to memorize it, trying to remember where he'd seen it, and trying to figure out why his chest felt like it was being torn. Something deep inside Gaara was screaming at him and telling him that he _should_ remember.

Then the man she was with placed his hand on her head. It was a friendly gesture, almost like they were siblings or best friends, but for some reason it particularly caught Gaara's attention. His sand subconsciously swirled around his feet and crept along the ground toward the man.

If the man hadn't walked inside with the girl it would have been at it feet, and once they were out of sight Gaara snapped back to his senses.

"What am I doing?" he muttered to himself. Gaara shook his head to rid his mind of any of those insane thoughts that previously occupied his mind and took off back towards his home.

'_Things are going from stupid, to foolish, to just plain sad,'_ thought Gaara with a small groan of annoyance, _'She's just a stupid girl, nothing more, and I've never met her before in my life.'_

For some reason Gaara could distinctly hear the Shukaku giggling like an idiot in a far corner of his mind. It annoyed Gaara even more that the stupid raccoon was getting a kick out of Gaara's problems.

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**Cori is a lot smarter than she seems, lol, good job puppy dog! (Shukaku sits laughing hysterically in corner) …ok I think we'll just leave him alone for a little while… Squeeee!!! It's the first time since the hospital he's seen her, and this time he actually kinda-sorta recognized her. We're makin' progress … (glances at clock) very slowly…**

**Starchip13**

**To my reviewers:**

**Crazy4Neji-** Glad your enjoying it so much. I think I'll be proud when it's done too, but I'll also be very depressed because, well, I'll have ended the story! I think this will definitely get very comfortably into the forties as far as chapters go, but if I'm lucky it may end up being closer to fifty…

**HanyouGirl17-** (Shrug) you'll just have to wait and see when all his memories come back…

**AnimeLover613-** (Enjoys the milk and cookies) Hehe life is good, reviews are plentiful, and Faceless is cowering somewhere in the basement. Life is good, and it will get even better in future chapters!!!

**Miraki Azumi-** OKIE DOKIE!!!!

**Chrosis-** OMG, Faceless would do it too… Yes, that just made my day (giggles)! I was thinking about creating a little thing of one-shots after I finished the story. It will have all types of genre (including a good blooper reel) and they'll all be based on the story. Requests welcome! Good idea? Yes? No?

**Pinguina- **Well, you reviewed this time and that's what counts right? I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story so much, and I liked the art you had on DA. Looking forward to future reviews!!

**TheStarsDarkness-** (Oo gasp) No, I won't let Gaara die, I was pissed when it happened in the actual Naruto story line so I cut it out completely. Things like that make me cry (shakes fist) adorable characters shouldn't die (seethes at _Death Note_ for killing off L). Hehe, anyway, just keep reading, these are just very necessary filler type chapters that build suspense!!

**SilentWhisperWolf-** I think the picture comes back into play within the next two chapters so hold your horses, lol! Love the review! Keep it up!

**Empress-Dragon-** Aw, that would be very cute now wouldn't it? I was thinking of doing a one-shot somewhat like that, but I'd make it after I finished the fic of course. Keep reading, there is going to be more drama, fight scenes, and unbelievable amounts of fluff coming!!!

**-Asa-Hoshi-** I really think you'll enjoy the chapters to come, so keep reading and reviewing!!

**White Alchemist Taya-** I know, I know, but then again most of Gaara's life has been sad hasn't it? I'm not trying to make it seem depressing, believe me, I don't do angst/tragedy so you can count of excessive amounts of fluff to make up for it!!

**Avidreader101-** …(cough) I'm not at liberty to say right now so you'll just have to wait. I'm sure the answer to that will come up some time in the near future…

**Baka Hanyou Rahvin-** Hehe, that's what Cassie's toughening up for! _Cassie:_ Hell ya, I'm gonna hit her so hard Yin and Yang will feel it!!! (Continues ranting in background) _Faceless:_ … (Shifty eye thing and slowly walks away)… _Star:_ …I think Cassie still holds a grudge…

**Inu Youkai Yume-** Don't worry, writing is a bad compulsion of mine, I can guarantee I'll keep writing!!

**Berries-R-Blue-** (Laughs nervously) Faceless, hun, why don't you handle this one… _Faceless:_ (dodges flying sharp objects) No way in hell!! I'm outta here! (Takes Gaara's memories and runs)

**The Norwegian Dragon- **Cassie's just a sweet person! Updates will be fast since I'm on March Break!

**GaarasDarkPrincess-** Hehe, wow, she can almost say Gaara already? You're a miracle worker my friend! A true young child corrupting miracle worker!!


	39. Female Problems

**Chapter #39**

**Female Problems**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Giggles madly in corner with laptop) I have a feeling you all are going to like this chapter…**

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"I am _never_ eating breakfast again as long as I live…" Cassie cursed into the toilet as another wave of nausea washed over her. There was nothing left in her stomach to bring up anymore, but that didn't stop even the slightest odd smell or the sight of curtain food from bringing on the sickly feeling.

For the past two days it'd been the same. She'd get out of bed and feel perfectly fine, but by the time she got to the bathroom or downstairs to the kitchen the sickness would start up again. If she even attempted to eat anything for breakfast there was no way she could ever keep it down, and the strange thing was that it never seemed to linger much past noon. It was like a new ritual that made getting on with life just a little bit harder.

Once the nausea passed Cassie got back to her feet and shut off the taps. Turning on the taps made sure no one could hear her gag and no one would get worried over her.

The doorbell rang as Cassie came down the stairs and she could hear Lee answer it in his usual cheerful voice, "Sakura-chan! Temari-chan! What brings you here?"

Gina slowly made her way down the stairs as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Can someone tell Lee to keep his voice down? For Kami's sake, it's Saturday! I don't like being conscious on Saturdays!"

The pink and the blonde haired Kunoichi walked into view from the hallway with Lee close behind.

"Hi guys, what's with the visit, I thought you'd be checking up on Gaara about now," Cassie smiled, as per usual.

Temari gave a look that said 'please don't remind me' before answering with an annoyed grunt, "He ran off again. Kankuro's out looking for him."

"He won't go far," sighed Cassie, "but you won't find him until he wants to be found."

"Don't remind us, it's hard enough to try and help someone who doesn't want to be helped without being reminded," Sakura was just as vexed as Temari. "But we came here to check up on you, Cassie-chan. You're boss told us that you've been getting sick every morning and it's been messing up your eating habits. I thought I'd just come see if you were alright while I had the time."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about me Sakura. It's just a little cold nothing to worry about…" Right on queue the nausea started to return and Cassie clamped her hand over her mouth as she rushed back up the stairs, "shit!"

The ill dark haired teen barely made it back to the bathroom in time, and she could clearly hear the loud thunder of footsteps following her up to the bathroom. She cursed again, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the bathroom before everyone caught up to her.

"Don't need to worry about you, right, Cassie you need to admit when you need help once in a while," Temari chided as she rubbed her friend's back, "I don't know whether you have a complex or what, but you never seem to know when you are _sick_."

Cassie groaned, "Temari, I'm fine, it's a cold…"

"You don't hug porcelain like that when you have a cold," point out Temari, "don't you remember when we first met? Gaara dragged you into the house sick as a dog because you overworked yourself?"

"That sounds like Cassie alright," Sakura said as she motioned to Temari to move. The pinkette place a hand on Cassandra's stomach and allowed her healing chakra to flow into her friend. Waves of warm energy flowed into Cassie's abdomen to sooth the sick feelings in her stomach, but as it did a concerned look crossed Sakura's face. Out of curiosity Sakura made her chakra probe a little deeper to look for anything out of the ordinary.

Temari saw the concerned look on Sakura's face first, "Is there something wrong?"

Sakura stood up rigidly and walked to the bathroom door where Gina and Lee were watching, "Private conversation. Time for the two of you to go downstairs."

"But Sakura-chan-"

"Lee, you woke up Gina so you apologize and make her some breakfast. We have some female problems here," snapped the pinkette Kunoichi.

Gina looked offended, "And what am I?"

"The person keeping Lee downstairs while Cassie, Temari, and I talk, now _go_." With that Sakura slammed the door shut, turned the lock, and turned to Cassie with a scary serious face.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why am I still here if this is supposed to be a private conversation?" asked Temari.

"Because it concerns you're brother," Sakura replied shortly, "Cassie, how long have you been sick like this?"

"Just a few days," answered Cassie timidly.

"Around the same time every day?"

"Yes."

"Do strong smells and foods make you nauseous?"

"Yes," the raven haired teen answered yet again, "where are you going with this?"

"One more question," assured Sakura with a small pause before continuing, "When was the last time you had your period?"

Cassie's stomach felt like it dropped ten stories, she did _not_ like where she thought these questions were going. "December I think, but its not like my cycle is very regular. Sometimes I'm a week or so late…"

Sakura didn't want to ask it, but they all knew Cassie wouldn't be the one to admit it. "But … did you have sex since then."

"…" It took only seconds for Cassie's face to heat up and resemble an overripe tomato, but it wasn't like she needed to actually answer the question. The look on her face said it all.

"Whoa, wait a minute, what…?" Temari wasn't sure what to say, and she began turning a little red in the cheeks herself just from thinking about it. The blonde Kunoichi had a pretty good idea where the little confrontation was going, but she wouldn't believe it until she actually heard Sakura say it.

"Cassandra, you're pregnant."

When she heard it Cassandra turned and threw up into the toilet once again, and Temari had to brace herself against the counter.

"Y-you're positive about that, Sakura-chan?" Cassie asked in a quivering voice. "There isn't a chance you could be mistaken?"

"Any medic-nin worth her rank can use chakra to see inside people to find out what is making them sick. All the signs are there, the hormone levels, the morning sickness, and everything else. There is no denying it, you're pregnant, and I think we can all guess who the father is…" Sakura trailed off slowly.

'_This isn't happening, this isn't happening…'_ Cassie took in deep breaths to calm her stomach, but nothing could help the way her heart was pounding, it felt as though it was going to break its way through her ribs. She was_ pregnant_ and Gaara never even remembered meeting her? What was she supposed to do? Would Gaara even regain his memories at all whenever Faceless was driven out? How was she supposed to explain it to her family? There were too many questions and too few answers. It was enough to bring the heavy weight of stress onto anyone's shoulders, so you can just imagine how it would affect a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Are we going to tell someone or are we keep this under wraps for a while?" Temari asked, sensing Cassie's growing uneasiness.

All eyes were on poor little Cassie who was sitting in the corner by the toilet should she start feeling sick again. It was her baby, her choice, and her call on who they would allow to know about the pregnancy.

"Don't tell my Dad or brother quite yet," she finally spoke softly to her friends, "my father would go strait for the liquor cabinet and Hale would go for Gaara. It would be chaos."

"I guess we can rule out Gina and Hana too then," Agreed Sakura, "What about Kankuro?"

Temari almost laughed, "Not if you don't want Gaara to know he's a father without even remembering Cassie. Are we going to tell Lee or Sasuke?"

Sakura shrugged, "It would probably be a good idea. Sasuke is good at keeping secrets and Lee … well, Lee is Lee, and you know if he makes a promise he'll keep it. Otherwise we'll see him running half a million laps around the village. Besides it might be good to have at least one person around this house know, just for observation purposes."

"He'll flip, I can see him overreacting and trying to 'look after' me," Cassie forced a small laugh, but even someone who mastered the 'mask' can run into a situation where they just don't have it in them to fake an emotion.

'_In my dream, back when Faceless took over, that little boy with the dark copper hair… He was the one that helped me wake up,'_ Cassie's hand rested on her stomach as her friends continued to talk. She wasn't listening to a word that they were saying; she just sat on the floor remembering the little boy's face. His messy hair that shone dark red in the sun, his innocent little face, and those bright green eyes that so closely resembled Gaara's were all features of the boy she could never forget. _'…My son…'_

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**Teehee, a lot of you already saw that one coming, but it's great all the same! Gaara's gonna be a daddy! (Runs around screaming) oh, he better start remembering soon or there is definitely going to be a few problems.**

**Just because I'm so nice (and I now have over 400 reviews) I am gonna give you a spoiler if there ever is going to be a sequel to the story. I made another fanart for my story (it's coloured way better this time) and it has Gaara's kids, the Second Gen. Sand Siblings. Check it out and tell me what you think!!**

**http :// www. Mediaminer .org /fanart /view.php /193463**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

_OnyxTears, Pinguina, Empress Dragon, GaarasDarkPrincess, Wistful-Dreamer, Hanyougirl17, kjk123, Berries-R-Blue, TheStarsDarkness, Miah the Storm Wolf, -Asa-Hoshi-, Inu Youkai Yume, Baka Hanyou Raevyn, avidreader101, white alchemist taya, and everyone else _


	40. We Meet Again

**Chapter #40**

**We Meet Again**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**You're gonna love me and hate me for this one, lol. Meh, just read and review, ok?**

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Lee's reaction to the news was predictable. There was a small pause, a look of uncertainty, the goldfish gape, and then the bone crushing hug. He moved through these phases of acceptance in just over half a minute, not including the hug which lasted several minutes afterward.

Sasuke's acceptance took less time. He paused, gave a questioning look, and then shrugged it off. Behold Sasuke, the emotional wonder of the world.

In the few days after Lee was his usual enthusiastic self, and also as expect he was being unnecessarily fussy over Cassie. He took it upon himself to restock the fridge with fresh health food, he wouldn't allow her to do any lifting or overexerting chores, and he started pulling a lot of punches and shortening their training time during the day. The only reason training wasn't cancelled altogether was because Cassie insisted on it so strongly, and Lee wasn't going to deny the girl something that was obviously so important to her. Instead he focused all the extra fussing on everything else.

Training was cut short yet again, and Lee announced he had to go help Sakura and Sasuke with something. Cassie just gave a smile and waved him off, but she didn't head home. She wasn't quite ready to go home yet. It was still a while until dinner, and if she went home she'd have nothing to do.

'_Ice cream,'_ Cassandra decided, _'I'll go treat myself to some strawberry ice cream. I haven't done that in a long time.'_

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After his regular meeting with the elders Gaara was finally able to head home for the afternoon. It was one of those rare occasions where the day was relatively uneventful and he actually had the luxury of leaving early for the day. Lucky him, or maybe unlucky…

Work acted like a firewall for the strange events in his mind, but as soon as he had a free moment they'd come back. The face of the girl he saw a few days before, a few obscure broken memories that were out of place, and a comfortingly gentle voice that whispered to him at every opportunity to try and bring forth memories. And the face that was always present … Gaara was forever tempted to reach out to it, but it was always just beyond his grasp.

That was the reason why he regretted spotting her yet again. This time she was strolling around in the market place, hands shoved in pockets, large deep jade eyes filled with curiosity grazing over the bustling crowd. It wasn't like she stood out or anything. She was just a normal girl, and if anything her diminutive height made her blend in more. Her raven hair was pulled back in small messy ponytail, and the loose strands fell over her child-like china doll face.

"_You know Gaara-sama, even when I first met you I always thought there was something about your eyes that caught my attention. At first I thought it was anger, but to me now it almost seems like … loneliness."_

Gaara trailed the small female. There was just something way to strange out her…

She didn't do anything out of the ordinary at all. She bought herself an ice cream and then proceeded to wonder aimlessly around the busy marketplace and once in a while she'd go into a shop if something caught her interest.

"Oi, look guys, a little mouse," a group of boys somewhere around Gaara's age stepped out from one of the shops and circled like vultures around the raven haired girl. "She's adorable isn't she?"

Two of the boys blocked her path, forcing her to stop, but she just looked over them with an indifferent expression, like she could care less that she was being cornered by men twice her size. She was either very confident, or very stupid, Gaara couldn't tell which.

"Look at how tiny she is," one of them chuckled and patted her head like they were talking to a kitten or a puppy, "How old are you sweetie? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Sixteen," she corrected bluntly and slapped his hand away. Somehow her tone was still even when most people would have been annoyed, she still looked like she didn't care. "Now, please, get out of my way."

The leader of the group didn't like being brushed off so lightly, like he didn't even matter, something like that is a big bruise to the ego for a bruit like him. So he stepped forward, taking firm hold of her by her thin wrist, and forced her to look him in the eye, "Please doesn't get you anywhere little girl, so don't think works are going to work against us. You shouldn't act so cocky. Your attitude outweighs your abilities, pipsqueak."

That was the last straw. Gaara's temper rose the instant he laid a hand on the girl, and the sand along the ground reacted with the sudden unexplained emotion. It created a wave, a barrier, that drove the group of boys back, and grabbed their so called 'leader' by the ankles to lock him in place. When the boy realized he'd been nabbed he was to distracted trying to get away to even care about the raven haired female.

The girl took one small step back, slightly startled by what was going on, but not completely shocked or frightened like most people would be.

"Oh, hell…" the leader struggled with all of his strength but the sand was much stronger. His face was plastered with fear when he saw Gaara standing not far behind Cassie like a deadly shadow. He fell back on his butt, feet still cemented to the ground by sand.

Gaara scowled and ordered his sand to release the boy as he uttered a short, "Leave."

The group obeyed without another warning.

Bright green eyes finally met Gaara's sea foam eyes, and both of them froze for a few minutes. Then something unexpected happened … she smiled at him.

"Arigato, Kazekage-sama," her voice was very soft and pleasing to the ear. Just like a curtain other little voice Gaara had been hearing a lot of lately.

He wanted to leave, move, breathe, blink, _something_. Anything but stand there and stare at her like an idiot. His feet were rooted to the spot like a tree, and for probably the first time in his life – that he could remember anyway – that _the_ Sabaku No Gaara was struck dumb by a girl. That fact made him feel all the more idiotic.

(AN: We all remember the last time even if he doesn't, Teehee…)

The girl blinked a few times, waiting for some type of response with curious, hopeful, looking eyes. When Gaara still didn't respond there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes, and it wrenched at Gaara's heart further.

"I should head home," her soft voice finally broke the silence, and she turned to leave, slowly.

Gaara's hand moved on its own, it reached out and caught her wrist, forcing her to stop. He wasn't sure why he did it, and he still wasn't sure what to say, but after a few seconds he was finally able to mutter out _something._ "I've seen you somewhere before, I know it, how do I know you…?"

"Possibly." There it was again, that hopeful look behind saddened eyes.

"Where have I seen you before," Gaara's head throbbed, making him loose his patience with the girl, "Who are you?!"

The girl winced, "You're hurting me…"

"_Say my name."_

"_Who_ are you?" he insisted through gritted teeth, _'I should know her name, I've seen her before! Her hair, her eyes, her voice, everything about her, its all so familiar!' _

"_Come on Gaara you know it, I did introduce myself formally – well kind of anyway – and if you need a refresher course the name is--"_

Gaara suddenly released the girl, forcing her away from him, and making her trip while he rubbed his throbbing temples. His head felt like it was splitting in two, and it was all because of her. He cursed and growled, trying to do anything to alleviate the pain, but nothing was working. He was trying to hard to remember and something was trying to stop him…

The girl was still sitting on the ground where she tripped, massaging her sore backside, and not daring to stand again while Gaara was in such a state.

His eyes wondered to her neckline where something tied around her neck reflected the light from the sun and caught his eye. At first he could make out what it was, but when the glare disappeared he could clearly see the kanji for 'love' on the exposed side of a coin. The sight of it made red hot pain sear behind Gaara's eyes, "W-where did you get that necklace?"

"It was a gift," her thin slender fingers toyed with the coin a little, making it glitter in the light, "from someone very precious to me."

Gaara screwed his eyes shut to try and fight back the persisting migraine. He almost wanted to scream…

A warm hand grazed gingerly along his cheek and then rested on his forehead. Gaara leaned into the touch instinctively, the heat from her hand somewhat soothed the pain of the headache.

"Are you alright, Kazekage? You don't look so well…"

His eyes opened and the female's eyes were so incredibly close… He could feel her warm breath on his cheek and see deep into the swirling shades of green in her eyes. Gaara was too distracted to wonder how she was able to get on her feet and close to him without Gaara sensing her movement. He didn't care.

What he did next takes the cake on shocking. His free hand – the one not nursing his throbbing skull – wrapped around her waist and pulled her in to his chest just so he could feel her warmth and breathe in her sweet scent. It felt nice having the girl so close, and with his self control already slipping beyond imagination he tilted her chin up and placed his lips on hers. She offered so little resistance to Gaara's demanding actions that he found his tongue slipping into her mouth to taste her better. He wanted that sweet taste, the taste of strawberries…

'_Why am I doing this,'_ reality suddenly began settling back in Gaara's mind and it suddenly dawned on him what he was doing. With common sense finally coming back on line in his brain Gaara promptly pushed the girl away, and he ran…

'_There is something really wrong with me, for a minute I almost felt like … towards that girl … a complete stranger…'_ Gaara's mind continued to race as he put more distance between himself and the strange girl. _'NO! It's impossible; I would never feel like that about someone like her, not me! I fight for myself, not for others! I don't love others! I'm Sabaku no Gaara!'_

"_What happens if someday someone really wants to get close to you, what if they want to be your friend, maybe more? If you can only love yourself could you ever return anyone else's?"_

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If she kept falling down Cassandra was eventually going to bruise her tailbone or something. She only saw Gaara for a few minutes, and somehow she managed to trip over herself twice in that short amount of time. It nearly made her doubt she made any progress in regaining her skills at all, but she didn't want to think that way. She wanted to think she at least got a little stronger, and she wanted to hope she could be just a little useful in fighting. She had to be.

Cassie didn't bother getting back on her feet for quite some time. Instead she pulled her knees into her chest and closed her eyes for a few fleeting moments and whispered to herself, "They're coming for him soon. Very soon. They can't afford to wait much longer or they'll loose their grip on him…"

But no matter how she thought about it, it still hurt, and thinking that he came so close to remembering her hurt even more. When he kissed her it made her heart soar because for a mere instant it was like he loved her again. It was only wishful thinking. He wouldn't remember unless Faceless was driven out, and he would only keep his memories if he truly woke up…

"Gomenasai, Gaara," she whispered and finally pulled herself back to her feet, "I'm going to try harder to be stronger…"

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Temper running short Gaara retreated to his room and attempted to find something, anything, that would distract him. He needed to calm down or the Shukaku would take his chance to wreak havoc on Suna, the stupid raccoon was already waiting in Gaara's mind to spring forth when ready.

'_That stupid girl,'_ Gaara's fist slammed down on his desk, splintering the wood. _'Her face, her voice, it's all stuck in my head and I can't stop it! What is going on with me?'_

Gaara continued taking out his frustration on the innocent desk as he seethed out every curse he could manage to think up. It didn't take long for there to be a large number of dents and cracks in the wood.

Damn, he'd have to replace the desk…

One of the desk drawers was jarred open during Gaara's release of frustration. It was one of the lower drawers he rarely used – he wasn't in his room all that much period – and something glass reflected the thin stream of light slipping through the gap in the curtains. Odd, he couldn't even remember putting anything in that drawer.

He reached into the drawer and his fingers grazed over something smooth, silk, that mostly covered what was in the drawer. It was a deep coloured sash with a gold dragon pattern embroidered on it. The object was probably wrapped carefully in the sash until the point when Gaara nearly destroyed the desk. _Someone_ thought it was important enough to put away so carefully where no one but him would find it, where no one but him would be able to see it.

Pushing the fabric aside, Gaara picked up the object – a picture frame – and examined it. It was painted to look like twilight, mostly dark blue and gold stars with some remnants of a deep red from the sunset, and the base of it was abnormally heavy. On the bottom was a little key to wind up a mini music box – that explained why it was so heavy. When he turned it the music box played a memorable song, the Moonlight Sonata.

When he saw the picture he nearly dropped the frame.

'_It's that girl from town…'_ it dawned on him as he gazed upon the cheerful face framed with strands of dark hair. In the picture her lips were gracing his as they stood beneath a strange little plant tacked to the door frame.

"_Its mistletoe Gaara, when two people are caught standing under it together they gave to kiss."_

The look on Gaara's face in the photo … he looked so _happy_. _'Does this mean … does it mean that during those months I don't remember…?'_

The new headache felt like someone caught him in the back of the head with an axe and it caused him to stagger. He used the desk to steady himself, but the pain pressed on and traveled down his back to the place where the seal was supposedly located.

"W-what's happening to me…?" Gaara managed to croak out.

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**I apologize for the cliffy, hehe, but not bad for big chapter 40, eh? The next few chapters are going to be good, but for now you'll have to wait because I have a very busy few days coming up. (Not my fault so no pointing fingers at me here!!) At least I know that kiss made at least a few of your happy…**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed:**

_Magikime13, wistful-dreamer, GaarasDarkPrincess, The Norwegian Dragon, earthchik, supershark1, Ttwist, Maiden-of-the-Elements, Empress-Dragon, Chrosis, -Asa-Hoshi-, TheStarsDarkness, AnimeAdic, Avidreader101, Inu Youkai Yume, Berries-R-Blue, White Alchemist Taya, and everyone else!! _


	41. Grudge Match

**Chapter #41**

**Grudge Match**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Collapses) Stupid school, stupid homework, damn part-time job… Its all leaving me with so little time to write my fingers were twitching in class today (I am not kidding…). Here ya go! A long awaited (well, for a week anyway) chapter of my story!!!**

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"Hale, where is Lee?" asked Cassandra as she through the front door open.

Her brother was the only one home. He was sitting in the living room watching TV after coming back from a series of missions.

"He went with Sasuke to see if they could track Gaara down, so you're guess is as good as mine," Hale shrugged. "What's the matter, Cass? You look all flushed and out of breath. Did you just run all the way back here?"

"There is no time to explain," Cassie pushed past her brother easily and rushed to the closet where she was keeping her kunai pouch, "We need to get moving _now_. We're going to have to split up if we are going to have any chance of warning the others in time. I'm going to go to Gaara's house, Temari or Sakura will probably be there, and then we have to find Gaara."

"Hold up, you're trying to jump the gun here, just slow down and tell me what's going on!"

"Its time, the twins are on their way back here, and they're coming fast. This will be our only chance to get the scroll we need!"

Hale was struck dumb momentarily. "How do you know this?"

"I just do," she stated simply, "while that thing was having a grand old time using my body like a puppet our souls were merging. I got out unscathed, but for some reason I can feel her presence. I think I'm the only one without a Kekkai Genkai that can see the seal on his back. That's how I know."

"So then all hell is going to break loose?"

"Ya, basically."

Cassie tied her kunai pouch around her waist and then grabbed the hilt of a sword from the closet. It was old and battered, and appeared to have the blade lopped off leaving only half an inch or so of broken metal. To anyone else it would have been nothing but junk, a useless sword that couldn't cut, but to a creative and crafty former Kunoichi it could be the best weapon in existence for the enemy she had to fight.

"You're not think of fighting are you?" after hearing that Faceless's little minions were back it took a little while before the fact that his sister was arming herself to sink in. "Do you even remember how long its been since you fought? And you're also thinking of using that damn sword of yours, don't even think about it. It uses up way to much chakra."

"Hey, it's like riding a bike, and I can handle the 'damn sword of mine' so come off it will you," snapped Cassie. She dragged her brother toward the door with surprising but controlled strength, "There is no time to waste arguing with me over my battle tactics, now _go_."

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All Gaara could feel was white hot pain shooting up his spine, so much so that he couldn't even see strait. Everything was stars and spots, and the floor was rising and falling in his vision unpredictably. He staggered towards the door, clutching his head, and cursing.

Half of what he was seeing wasn't even the actual surroundings. It was unfamiliar scenes that he apparently lived through, broken memories, the missing months out of his life. Through that pain he could see that girl's face smiling brightly at him, kissing him, making him smile, and making him feel happy. But they were nothing but mute pictures and short sputtering soundless video feeds in his mind, so her name was still gone, and so was that very voice he knew used to make him smile.

"Shit!" Gaara's fist met with the nearest wall. He didn't know when he'd made it all the way to the wall, but he hoped he wouldn't be finding the stairs.

"Gaara?" his sister's voice called from downstairs.

It figured someone heard all the racket he was making. With all that was going on he wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or grateful.

"Something bad is happening, we need to get him to the hospital," Sakura's voice was barely audible through the white noise in Gaara's mind.

Each of them took one arm and placed it over their shoulders to support Gaara's weight. It was a little bit of a relief since I didn't have to struggle to stand anymore, but his head was still spinning like an out of control top. It was like doing a thousand three-sixties while freefalling.

Not fun.

"Gaara, can you hear me?" asked Sakura.

"Hm." Gaara grumbled.

"Are you in any pain, Gaara?"

"Hn…" The answer should have been obvious by that point, but Sakura still needed to test his responses.

"The seal is activating again, just like she said it would," Temari cursed, "that means the shit is going to hit the fan again…"

'_She…'_ Her face was still clouding his mind. He could see her frightened face screaming at the mention of the seal, and unnatural black eyes that didn't belong staring out from her delicate face. "H-her name … w-what…?"

"Gaara, try to clear your mind, don't put yourself under unnecessary stress or you'll only get worse," instructed Sakura.

"Someone is coming," Gaara grunted. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he could feel it, some would go as far as to say he could sense the presence coming closer. "… t-two girls…"

His vision cleared a little, not very much, but it was enough to realize he was being taken to the hospital. They were leaping the roofs to get there faster, but he didn't think was a good idea. Gaara had a very bad feeling about the presences he could feel closing in, they were definitely dangerous, and they were coming for _him_.

Gaara wrenched his arms away from Temari and Sakura, and staggered to remain on his own two feet. The sad part that he was already starting to get used to the spinning so it didn't take long before he regained the ability to walk without assistance. He backed away from the girls, slowly at first, but he picked up speed before they could catch up with him or protest.

It was the only way to draw the dangerous figures away from populated areas where he would have to protect others. He could barely keep himself standing, much less protect a hospital full of people, and as the Kazekage he had to make that choice. As expected his pursuers followed him instead of staying on their original path. It looked like he would have to face the enemies one on one, not that it was any surprise to Gaara.

Managing to put great distances between himself and any over populated areas despite his own pain Gaara could still feel the gap between him and the two enemies close rapidly. Along with another faint chakra source he found oddly familiar but couldn't quite place. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time Gaara felt something vaguely familiar around him, as of lately it was almost expected of his day to day life.

"It's nice to meet you, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara skidded to a halt at the sound of the voice. It was a soft stoic voice that obviously belonged to a child by the pitch.

Two girls, no older than ten or eleven, stood front of him in the blink of an eye like they'd been there the entire time. They were perfect mirror images of each other with the exception of their hair colour which greatly contrasted with each other. They stood side by side with the same postures and the same emotionless expressions, the ivory haired girl clutching an antique silver mirror, and the ebony haired girl with a sword attached to her hip.

'_Damn, how did they get in front of me without me sensing them?'_ Gaara grimaced, "Who are you two? What do you want?"

"We're here on some unfinished business," the ivory haired twin stepped forward, her mirror reflecting what was left of the desert sunlight, "on behalf of our master."

Gaara's sand stirred around his feet, ready for any possible attack, _'something bad is going to happen, I can feel it … this isn't good… I can feel their excess chakra radiating off of them like their not even human…'_

"You're a stubborn one," the ebony haired twin added, "I'm surprised you're still able to see, much less walk, you're a lot like the girl. But we have ways to correct particularly … stubborn cases…"

The dark haired girl pulled a scroll out of her pocket and balanced it expertly on her index finger. A flash of amusement was barely visible behind her black eyes, "This will be sayonara, Sabaku No Gaara."

One of her shockingly pale fingers reached to the little gold seal on the black scroll, the tip of her fingernail slowly turning up the edge and allowing chakra to seep out from beneath. The pressure the chakra inside the scroll was incredible and it gushed out from the small gap like a shaken can of soda being opened.

The sand around Gaara dropped dead and scattered across the ground like it normally would. No matter how much Gaara tried he couldn't regain control over the sand, something was stopping him. Something was zapping him of all his chakra.

_Thud._

A kunai whizzed through the air, grazing the dark haired girl's hand, and landed on the ground smoothly. It'd been expertly aimed, and if the dark haired girl hadn't moved it would have given her a lot more than a scratch.

"Oi, Yang, don't be rushing into things, we all know Faceless can wait another few minutes," a figure – obviously the thrower of the kunai – landed smoothly between Gaara and the two girls. Her slender back was to Gaara, but he didn't need to see any more than that to instantly recognize her as the girl he kissed before, and with the recognition came a new wave of pain up his back.

Gaara growled, "Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

She turned, smiling softly at him with kind green eyes, and the Konohagakure headband around her forehead glinting in the setting sun. "Gomenasai, for getting here so late, Kazekage-sama. Are you ok?"

"What are you doing here?" demanded Gaara once more.

"Just settling a score," she answered simply, "The little twerp with the scroll and I have a grudge match that has been long overdue."

'Yang' looked even more amused than before and her eyes scanned over the green eyed female carefully, "You think putting on a headband increased your skill level? I've seen you fight, and as I said before, you're not even in my league."

"I think of this headband as more of an indicator actually, not a tool," the green eyed 'Kunoichi' tapped the metal of her headband with the tip of her finger and smirked, "when you fought me before I wasn't fighting as a ninja, I was fighting as a village girl, someone virtually useless in battle. I could fight you without it, but I figured you might take me seriously as a ninja."

"You _were_ a Genin," scoffed the little girl, "a joke, Iwate."

"Seeing may be believing, but its not necessarily understanding. What you don't understand is that I fight my best when I'm fighting for someone else, and if I have a reason I _can't_ loose then I won't." The Iwate girl pulled four kunai from her pouch and held one in between before taking a loose, but oddly familiar, fighting stance. One hand was poised behind her back, the other hand with the shuriken up in front facing her opponent, and one foot firmly planted in front of the other. She was ready from an attack from anywhere in case something unexpected happened. "For my friends, for my family, for all those precious to me, and for my ally village of Sunagakure, I'm not going to loose. I'm going to take back that scroll and set things right."

"As noble as that pretty little speech of yours was I have more important matters to attend to, so stand aside, I don't owe you a fight nor do you owe me."

The ivory haired twin stepped forward, "Yang, you _should_ fight her, if she has a death wish it's her business. If she's finally gone it will only serve to help us in the end. No wasting time, finish it quickly."

"Yin…" Even Yang looked a little surprised, but it passed quickly enough and she looked forward determinedly, "Very well, if you want to die _that_ bad who am I to deny your wish? I hope you at least came prepared."

The green eyed girl smirked again, "I have to please ask you not to underestimate me. My new sensei helped me brush up quite a bit."

"We'll see."

Yang lunged forward with her sword drawn faster than any normal human eye could track. The cold steel blade plunged into the green eyed girl's left shoulder, probably piercing a few arteries, but the strike was obviously not meant to kill. Not right away at least. The goal was to cause pain, and teach the girl a thing or two about overestimating herself against a strong opponent. Yang wasn't going to make the fight as quick as her sister wanted, but from the look of the first move it would still be a relatively short match anyway.

"If you can't keep up you have no hope of beating me," chided Yang, "you're nothing but a hopeless kid."

There was no doubt the sword made a direct hit, and in all logic the force of it should have at least fractured her collarbone, but something was very different about the way the sword entered her body. There was little resistance and nothing solid. No bones, no organs, and no _flesh_. Yang might as well have tried stabbing silly putty because there wasn't even any blood coming from the wound site.

"What…?" Yang tried yanking on her sword, but it was stuck. "Is this a shadow clone? A replacement jutsu?"

"Thanks to my training I was able to more than triple my suppress chakra levels, and I was able to brush up on my old techniques. I thought you would have at least seen that while you were rampaging through my memories." The 'Iwate' girl grabbed the hilt of the sword and gently pulled it downward, purposely creating a long gash. "Say hello to the Solid Clone Replacement Jutsu."

'_So she is a Kunoichi, that has to be a high level jutsu,'_ Gaara watched as another figure – her real body – appeared in a burst of speed behind Yang. _'Who is she?'_

"_Leaf Hurricane!_" she called out as her foot base contact with Yang's back.

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**(Hides behind desk sheepishly) I know, I know! I'm a terrible person! But it couldn't be helped! Its getting late and I have the early morning shift at work tomorrow (uck, working on a Saturday … its like a sin) so I can't stay up to late!! I'll try and update one more time this weekend if I get the chance, but I won't be able to respond to everyone's fantastic (and much loved) reviews. GOMENASAI!!!!**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks:**

_OnyxTears, GaarasDarkPrincess, kinky-kitsune, Alie of the Desert, AnimeAdic, NeuroticSeduction, FuzzyLove, kjk123, Inu Youkai Yume, soccergrl15, Miraki Azumi, Chrosis, Berries-R-Blue, KageNOhikari8, White Alchemist Taya, HieiFan666, DeathBroken, earthchik, Baka Hanyou Raevyn, Gaara Sabaku, Magikme13, TheStarsDarkness, Wistful-Dreamer, Pinguina, Empress-Dragon, supershark1, avidreader101, -Asa-Hoshi-, MichaelLuvrReisLuvrMichaelLuvr, and everyone else!!!_

**Wow, just imagine if I wrote responses for all of these! I'd have been at my computer all night! (Gasp) My reviewer list just keeps growing and growing!! I'm sooooo happy!!!**


	42. Cassie's Technique

**Chapter #42**

**Cassie's Technique**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co. (Holy hell, this is getting depressingly repetitive now isn't it…?)**

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"_Leaf Hurricane!_"

Cassie's foot made harsh contact with Yang, or at least something solid. A few seconds later Yang disappeared into a cloud of smoke and in her place was a large chunk of wood. Likewise Cassie's special clone also dissipated into a fine mist of used chakra after its purpose was fulfilled. The purpose was to try and get Yang to hold still, if not for a few seconds, so Cassie could take her chance at actually landing a blow, but Yang was no amateur. It would take a lot more than that to beat her, even if she was in the form of a small child.

'_But I know what she is,'_ Cassie took a deep breath to calm herself, _'and if I concentrate I can do this…'_

"Impressive, but still not quite up to speed, Iwate!"

Spinning gracefully Cassie blocked the blow of Yang's sword with her kunai. It wasn't a great match at all, and the blade came within less than half an inch of her fingers. There was less than a second of deadlock between the two of them, and with Yang's disadvantage of height the little girl was forced to jump at her from above or risk being cut down. That short amount of time was another small opening for a surprise attack.

With kunai between each finger in her free hand she made an attempt to plunge her spiked knuckles into Yang's delicate little stomach. Cassie didn't brother pulling her punches. When she fought she was dead serious. It more or less had something to do with being bottled up about emotions, and it put all the more force behind her punches.

Yang used their clashing blades as a push off point to put a little distance between the two of them. She didn't receive any injuries, but her clothes didn't evade the swipe and were torn in the process.

"Aiming for the vitals aren't going to work, even if you get lucky and manage to cut me, physical wounds don't matter." Yang relaxed her stance just too mock Cassie by showing her complete and utter confidence in her inevitable victory. "If that's all you've got I'm wasting my time and I'll just kill you quickly."

Cassie fell back into her stance, showing eagerness, and daring Yang to try and an attack. "If you haven't noticed I've yet to get a scratch too."

The confident smirk on Yang's face grew until it almost looked cruel, "I don't need to waste the energy. I'll make you submit willingly, and I'll make you regret challenging me. You'll wish you'd stayed well away from me."

Yang's height increased before their eyes, her clothes growing to fit, her already black hair growing, and her face changing to a more mature adult structure. Round framed glasses were perched on her nose and they served to magnify the intensity of her new large deep green eyes.

"Now, Cassie," Yang's new voice cooed, "You couldn't raise a weapon against you're now mother would you?"

Cassie's features softened and her hands lowered to her sides, "O-Of course not…"

"Good girl…"

At the drop of a dime Cassie's face returned to normal, naturally after taking the chance to casually lower her arms and retrieve her lengths of wire. "I would never, ever, fight against my mother. But I think I know the difference between my own dearly departed mother and a transformation jutsu."

Wires were suddenly everywhere, surrounding Yang in a tangled web, so that no matter how much she struggled she couldn't escape. The intricate patterns closed in around the imposter's neck, ready to strangle, but Yang managed to slip her wrist between her neck and the wire to prevent strangulation. She wasn't dying, but she couldn't move either.

"Very tricky, I didn't think you'd have the guts," commented Yang offhandedly.

'_Come on, I know how to kill her, but she needs to use her power,' _Cassie pulled the strings tighter around Yang's neck, _'Yin uses her mirror, and Yang has her own ability. They're powerful and hard as hell to beat, but it's the only time they're vulnerable. If I do this right I can sever her connection with Faceless…'_

Sections of the string started breaking off randomly without any outside influences, and finally free, Yang – still transformed – stepped forward with her sword drawn. "I'm bored. This ends now."

'_You got that right.'_

Black mist circled around Yang's sword, forming random shapes and hands, and with one gentle leisurely sweep of her bade the hands shot forward like bullets. The excess chakra from the powerful attack tore up the ground and sent rocky shrapnel flying in all directions. The attack itself shredded the chunk of wood Cassie used for her replacement jutsu to fine sawdust.

Gaara jumped back a couple yards to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Yin did likewise.

"I can control my chakra outside my body and use it like extra limbs," Yang stated assertively, "It can lift incredible amounts of weight, and the chakra vibrates at such a high frequency it can cut strait through solid objects. Even if I graze you you're finished."

Cassie stepped out of the settling dust appearing as calm and collected as the moment she arrived, and nothing more than a scrape on her. Her thin pianist fingers grasped something on her belt and held it out in a fighting stance.

Yang nearly laughed when she saw Iwate Cassandra's new weapon of choice.

It was nothing but the battered old hilt of a sword clutched tightly in her hand and held out as though there was actually a blade. There was nothing but thin air because the blade appeared to have already been lopped off, leaving no more than an inch of dull metal. The edges of the former blade were chipped and angular, consistent with the blade being snapped off, but some of the edges were dulled. It meant that the snap happened long enough ago that anything incredibly sharp was worn down by some kind of use.

How someone could use a piece of junk like that Yang didn't know, but Cassie seemed convinced that she'd pulled out some kind of trump card.

"I know almost everything I need to know after melding minds with your master for a short period of time. I realized when I thought about how your power worked that my special jutsu was the perfect match in combat. Something that can interrupt the flow of chakra in your attack, and render it nothing but a useless waste of chakra…"

"And that 'something' is a broken sword?" a very bemused Yang asked quizzically.

Placing both hands on the blade for a few seconds Cassie allowed her chakra to flow into the sword, "There is a reason I graduated the academy early. Sometimes an academy student can master an advanced jutsu, but it's very rare that one improves upon it and makes it their own. It's a known jutsu that I modified to my talent of super compressing chakra, creating something so incredibly dense it can cut through virtually anything. Solid objects, sound, air, and even someone else's chakra."

'_Does that mean she can recreate an entire blade with chakra alone?'_ Curiosity peaked Gaara inched forward, _'it's even advanced for a Jounin to extend a regular blade with chakra, but to create an entire blade from scratch…'_

Cassie rolled the bottoms of her pants up a little so a thick black anklet was exposed on each leg. Both came off by undoing a latch and she easily picked them off with her single free hand.

"These are a nuisance," the raven haired teen sighed, "I'll need to move freely for this."

"Removing a few weights won't make a difference—" Yang was cut off by the sound of a crash as the weights were carelessly tossed in the middle of the 'battlefield'. Each weight dug its own trench as it slid across the ground and dug the already ruined ground further. A new large dust storm was created for cover.

If he'd been in the position to Gaara would have slapped his forehead. It sudden occurred to him the strong resemblance in fighting styles, among other things. She was exactly like a curtain fuzzy browed Jounin Gaara knew all too well… The weights weren't nearly as heavy, but it was still astonishing someone her size could carry around even _that_ much and appear to move normally.

"Pft," Yang nearly laughed again as she used her destructive attack for a second time.

This time there was no replacement jutsu to take the blow because at the new speed of the second attack there wouldn't have been time for it. Instead Cassie faced it head on, raising the hilt of her sword, and bringing the 'imaginary' blade down before the attack could reach her.

The light from the clash of attacks was intense and lit up the nearly dark late evening sky. The ground below was charred and blasted away from the release of energy.

Yang stood bewildered in the settling dust trying to figure out what just happened. In so many years of fighting she'd never seen that reaction before, and in those years no one was ever able to stop her attacks. Another thing no one ever managed to do was put more than a paper cut on her china doll skin, and after a long delayed reaction Yang realized the shoulder of her shirt was almost completely torn apart, along with her 'false skin' underneath that shed no real blood.

"No way…" she whispered.

For the first time even Yin looked worried, "Stop wasting time! Finish it!"

"But how is it possible?" murmured Yang under her breath, "there was far less chakra in her one attack…"

The rest of the dust settled on Cassie's side as well, and it was blatantly obvious she wasn't without injury. Her shoulder – opposite the one that Yang injured – was clawed open with a series of long cuts that extended from her elbow, up her collarbone, and down her back again. None of the cuts was particularly deep, or immediately life threatening, but unlike Yang, Cassie actually bled. The warm crimson liquid slowly gushed out and stained the torn fabric that had formerly been her shirt.

Cassie cringed a little, but other than that didn't take notice to the injury.

If Gaara could've used his sand he was sure he could have flattened anything without a three mile radius. The sight of blood still got to him from time to time, but not nearly as much as it used to. It was _her_ blood that was making his temples throb with new vigor and tempting him to foolishly step into the ring between the fighting girls. He _wanted_ to risk his life for a stranger…

"Humph, you may not be a complete pushover, and maybe you were able to block the attack, but that nifty trick won't last forever. You've only got so much chakra, and I bet I can outlast you." Yang talked confident, but in her mind she was very conscious of her worries, _'that flash will attract ninja, so even though I can outlast her I don't have the time I need to finish the quickly.'_

Yang's fingers grazed over the cuts on her shoulder, her body had never been cut that badly before. _'And not only that, the girl knows where she is aiming! If my attack hadn't been in the way my connection could have been severed…'_

'_I almost had it! Damn, I was so close to hitting the mark!'_ Cassie gently clenched her teeth. After being one mind with Faceless it was like she knew how to see the very connection that gave Yin and Yang their lives. It was in the form of a silver string - not unlike the ones she broke on her own soul when she rejected Faceless - that was only barely visible but at least she was able to see it at all. It was only clearly visible while they were expelling chakra so that was the best time to strike. _'One more shot, just one more shot or I'll overdo it. Yang was right to assume my blade is wasteful of my chakra. I can already feel my strength draining…'_

This time Cassie lunged forward, swiping her sword, and as expected Yang leapt nimbly out of the way, but a long cut still appeared across her chest.

"This sword doesn't have one length," Cassie smirked when she noticed her opponent calculated her distance based on the length of a _normal_ sword. "I can extend it however I want."

With the gap between them shortened to give Cassie less time to react to another attack. She was planning on ending it right there for sure.

"Die!"

Before Yang could finish her swing Cassie's arm grabbed her wrist before the chakra could be completely expelled from the sword. The excess energy clawed up Cassie's arm, this time deeper because of being so close, and using her left hand her 'chakra sword' she cut the blade off Yang's sword and cut through her string in one swift motion.

"I didn't want to end it for you this way," Cassie spoke softly, "it wasn't your fault you were born from the souls of dead children, and if that wasn't bad enough you're the only one that can actually see the tragic lives of each of those children."

The outside appearance of Cassandra's mother melted away and the original body of the child was left standing there with her tiny wrist in Cassandra's hand.

The tips of Yang's fingers started breaking down into the same type of fine black mist her attack used, and her expression changed to that of utter exhaustion. That string was what bound her to her master, and her master was what bound her to the world of the living. Without it she was just a formation of chakra, a puppet with cut strings, and a body without anything to hold in the soul.

Tears rimmed Yang's black eyes and for the first time she smiled and whispered so no one else could hear, "You're going to be a good mother, Cassandra-san."

Yang's body completely broke apart and the mist quickly scattered in the wind so nothing was left but her sword and the scroll. Cassandra grabbed both before they hit the ground.

Yin stepped forward, looking completely unmoved that her 'sister' was just killed, and held her mirror ready to use. The only thing she was interested in was recapturing the scroll.

'_I'm out of chakra, and I'm loosing too much blood…' _Cassie winced and forced herself to ignore the throbbing of her bloodied arm and shoulder, _'and Gaara is in no condition to fight. Damn, I need a plan. Yin is much more difficult to beat. She'll disappear if I take care of Faceless, but for that I can't have Yin interfering…'_

"Kazekage-sama, please, I need you to put some distance between yourself than that girl. You should be in less pain that way," pleaded Cassie as she pulled another kunai from her pouch and held it with her good arm, which also happened to be her weaker throwing arm.

New waves of pain blinded Gaara and he staggered forward a few steps. The sight of her blood, her eyes, her face, everything, it was all bringing on _something,_ and it was very bad. If it kept up he was going to loose it.

You know you can't stay in control much longer, kid. Just give in. I feel like doing something entertaining!

'_Stay out of this, bastard raccoon!'_

You haven't even noticed something else inside you lately, and if you don't drive it out soon we're both done. We can let it take control, and at this rate you're going to give in. Let me take over for a little while to buy us some more time!

'_And let you run rampant through the village on a killing spree? Not in this lifetime!'_

Stupid baka!

'_Bastard Raccoon!'_

At least take the girl's advice and put some distance between yourself and the little freak with the mirror! I think after all she's done you can trust her. Don't make it harder on yourself and MOVE.

(A/N: Wow, I'm realizing just now how sarcastic I've made the Shukaku … oh well!)

Despite the fact that Shukaku backed off a little Gaara could still feel his chakra in a corner of his mind ready to jump at the opportunity to take control.

"_Don't_ get yourself killed. I still want answers out of you," Gaara growled as he turned to leave.

Yin, still looking indifferent, created a shadow clone that ran off in pursuit of Gaara so she wouldn't loose track of him while the real body stayed behind to retrieve the scroll. She was inwardly confident; not thinking it would take very long to get rid of one girl, even if the girl took out her twin.

'_I don't have time for this. Gaara won't last too much longer.'_ Cassie went through tactic after tactic, but with almost no chakra and her bleeding arm there was no way she could win against her.

"Unlike my sister I'm not going to waste time," Yin spoke softly and aimed her mirror and was about to activate _something_ when an unknown shuriken came out of nowhere, hitting the frame, and tilted the mirror upwards slightly. It was Cassandra's chance to duck out of the way before Yin regained her composure.

"Cassie-chan," Lee offered her assistance getting up, "sorry, we are late. Are you ok?"

Sasuke – who arrived with Lee – activated his Sharingan and prepared to fight, "Where is the other one?"

"I took care of her already," explained Cassie, "and if you guys keep her busy long enough I can go help Gaara. I need to find him quickly."

"But your arm-" protested Lee.

"I'll be fine. I'll get Sakura to treat me right after I finish Faceless once and for all."

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**I wanted to get this up yesterday, but after I finished my homework (which was after getting caught up watching a movie) I realized that it was too late. Oh well, one day didn't kill you all … did it? I never really know…**

**I have time to respond to my reviewers this time!! Yay for meeee!!!!!! **

**Starchip13**

**To my reviewers:**

**Miah The Storm Wolf-** Most of his attacks are, but there are some he can use repeatedly without causing too much stress to the body. 'Leaf Hurricane' is basically a powerful roundhouse kick, so if you know how to do it then its safe. Besides, a woman's body is build to protect her baby. You wouldn't belief the stories I've hear about pregnant women being hurt and the babies are perfectly safe (it's the later stages of pregnancy she'd have to worry about).

**Miraki Azumi-** XD

**Baka Hanyou Raevyn-** Hehe, I think she did a very good job of beating Yang don't you? She's going for Faceless next!!!

**White Alchemist Taya-** Its getting kinda near the end now, but there are still a good few chapters to go so don't worry. Keep reading and see how it turns out!!

**Berries-R-Blue-** We wouldn't want that to happen now would we? Hehe, don't worry, I'm updating as fast as I can!

**Chrosis-** (Insert insanity) (Insert gratitude for this review and any in the future)

**-Asa-Hoshi-** (Gasp) chocolate cookies?!! I LOVE THEM!! Teehee, back when I was writing for Quizilla I was known for my addiction to chocolate cookies and pie … then I was also known for my 'huggie sweater' and 'bouncie room' so ya…

**Wind Kunoichi-** I will if you keep up the reviews!!! Hehe, thank you!

**Supershark1-** No problem! Thanks for the reviews!

**OnyxTears-** Well, I do have the next few days off so I guess that makes up for having to work the Saturday. I don't mind much, it's the fact that I was stuck working Saturday _and_ I was on the express lane. The express lane is the closes damn register to the door and it was so FREAKING COLD!!!!

**Avidreader101-** Are you still jumping? Cuz if you are I'll join you!!!

**XXmyXorochimaruXX-** Hehe, gotta love a good butt kicking! Even I can't wait for Faceless to leave and Gaara's memory to come back.

**Wistful-Dreamer-** Oh dear … it appears like I left another cliffie (bows slowly walks away) damn, I really don't mean to … it just happens!!

**NeuroticSeduction-** Yup, she knows Leaf Hurricane and a couple other Taijutsu tricks, but she can't use the Lotus. Her body doesn't have the endurance for that, and even if she did she wouldn't use it because of the baby! Looking forward to more reviews!!!


	43. Gaara's Dream

**Chapter #43**

**Gaara's Dreams**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Grr, there has been too much to do to be able to write much and it's driving me insane!! I wanted to have this up on Friday but I didn't have the time (I had it written beforehand) so I'm posting it now that I have a few minutes to relax.**

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"Not good…"

As it turned out there was a lot more than one clone following after Gaara. As far as he could tell there were at least four, and they were all gaining fast. By the way they were appearing out of nowhere after pretending to fall behind Gaara was getting the feeling he was just being toyed with. They were just trying to make him tired so he wouldn't be able to fight later, and they were doing one hell of a job.

He had no chakra, no use of sand, no sense of direction, and he was in so much pain he wasn't even running strait. Even he had to admit it, and he loathed ever admitting he was being weakened.

Gaara was in serious trouble.

The Shukaku's overwhelming chakra rammed anxiously at the barrier of his consciousness. The demon could care less what happened to Gaara emotionally, physically, or otherwise. All he cared about was his own wellbeing, and the fact that if Gaara died so did he. Shukaku was more than willing to forcibly take over Gaara's body if it would save his own hide.

One of Yin's clones bolted in front of Gaara and forced him to look strait into the mirror. Two more flanked him on both sides, and one behind him, so he couldn't escape his own reflection if he wanted.

Use the jutsu or I swear I will take control myself. That won't be fun for either of us!

Chakra was almost literally starting to seep from Gaara's pours and the sand around him began reacting to the sudden spike in power.

'_Stop it right now!'_

Too late!

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It wasn't particularly hard to find Gaara. The scroll was like a homing device in itself, and it was practically drawn towards Faceless's seal. And even if there wasn't that affect with the seal, even a pedestrian would be able to sense the massive increase in chakra up ahead. It could only be Gaara.

'_Hold on, hold on just a little longer.'_ The chant within her mind was half for Gaara, and half for herself. The wounds on her arm were still bleeding generously, her chakra was nearly gone, and her muscles were spent. Learning such harsh Taijutsu and Ninjutsu did come at a cost, and it didn't help that she was taking on a lot more than she could normally do in battle.

The sand in the wind ahead was beginning to pull together and form some kind of shape, possibly some kind of animal. One with light yellow skin, black markings, large amounts of chakra, and a loud cry that made Cassie's skin crawl. The sound made her skid to a halt only momentarily before she sped off again, completely determined to put any natural fear of the beast behind her and save Gaara at all costs.

The sand creature swiped its claws and took out all for clones easily before letting out another cry of rage and triumph.

"Shukaku…" murmured Cassie under her breath. She'd never actually seen the full demon form of Shukaku, and although it wasn't on her to do list to get crushed by a rampaging demon she still stepped forward determinedly. Gaara was still inside there somewhere, and if Faceless took hold while Shukaku was the one doing the attacking she wouldn't just have Gaara, she'd have a demon.

There were only a yards between them, but it didn't seem to take much notice of her at first. She could see Gaara's body on the Shukaku's head with his body slumped over, his dark ringed eyes closed, and fast asleep.

Summoning any chakra she had left she leapt up, using the buildings nearby as push off points to get the height she needed. Cassie didn't land as close to Gaara's real body as she'd hoped, but she was surprised that she got that far with the chakra reserves she still possessed. She'd landed somewhere on the Shukaku's nose, right between his eyes, and prepared any energy she could muster to run the rest of the way to Gaara when the sand shifted beneath her feet.

"Ack!" yelped Cassie in a mixture of surprise and pain. The sand swallowed her up past her knees and immediately began to crush her legs. The pressure was immense, and Cassie couldn't help but cry out in agony.

Gritting her teeth Cassandra clawed at the sand to try and pull herself out, "SHUKAKU!! I have the scroll! Let me go or that seal will activate!"

"It's about time, girl," the Shukaku's voice rang out.

"You're crushing my legs," Cassandra spat, "I can't move! I don't think I'll be able to walk!"

Amusement shone in the Shukaku's eyes but the sand gently began pushing Cassie towards Gaara none the less. "Your blood is very sweet. It's a shame you're carrying an infant, or I would kill you for your insolence."

"I'll make a mental note, but for now _move it_," Cassie seethed, her patience growing dangerously thin.

As a little reminder of who was the 'alpha' Shukaku allowed the sand to constrict again very briefly, not as hard as before, but enough to make her yelp and give the sand around her legs a dirty glare. She was starting to understand a little better one of the reasons why Gaara found Shukaku a pest. Cassie was the one trying to save _both_ of them and he still couldn't resist letting his sand taste her blood.

Stupid demon jerk.

None the less Shukaku did have a sense of self-preservation, and after having his 'fun' he allowed the sand to push Cassie towards Gaara. Not that also didn't cause her a lot of pain because it was likely she had a fracture or two.

Cassandra was unsteady, her legs no longer able to hold her weight from the injuries and exhaustion, so she wrapped her arms around Gaara's middle to steady herself. Gaara's – who was obviously fast asleep – leaned into hers with his arms hanging limply at his sides and his head resting in the curve of her neck.

"Come on, Gaara, its time to wake up," Cassie whispered in his ear as she pulled the scroll from her pocket, "This might sting a bit. I apologize in advance."

The hand holding the scroll sunk slowly into the seal in Gaara's back like it was being absorbed by his flesh. When the scroll started touching the seal it glowed with bright hot energy as it tried to reject the outside force, but it was ultimately a useless attempt and only served to make it visible to the naked eye.

Gaara's brows drew together and made an expression between a wince and a scowl. Nothing more than a soft groan escaped his lips.

"Help me find her so I can draw her out," she whispered softly in his ear, "Please, Gaara you have to wake up and help me find her…"

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_**Why was Gaara hated by everyone? Why was he the one always doomed to be alone? Why did he have a strong pain in his chest that never seemed to go away?**_

_**No child deserved the hatred, fear, and spite the villagers showed to him every day f his life. But of course no one thought of Gaara as a child, all they saw was a demon, something dangerous that was only created as a weapon. Something inhuman that deserved inhuman treatment. A creature that could neither receive love from others nor feel love himself. **_

_**A demon.**_

_**Even his own father wanted him dead, and what was even worse was that his uncle Yashamaru – the only person Gaara thought cared about him – was the one ordered to do it. Yashamaru accepted the mission because in actuality he never really loved Gaara, and only wanted to see him dead for the death of his sister.**_

_**Gaara stared disbelievingly at his dying uncle. The one person he trusted in the whole world, and the man with a sea of exploding tags attached to his chest as a last attempt at killing Gaara. **_

"_**This is it. Please die."**_

_**The very sand that made everyone hate him so much ended up protecting young Gaara that night, and alive and unharmed he began to doubt the existence of 'love'. **_

_**That night was the first and only time his sand would injure Gaara. It cut the kanji for 'Ai' above his left eye to show that he would only love himself. He would only fight for himself, and he would prove his own existence. He had no need for others and their false emotion of love. All he had was himself.**_

"_**But that's not true…"**_

_**A pair of slender arms reached out from the sand behind him and wrapped around little Gaara. They pulled him into a warm embrace of a girl's bosom so he could hear her heart beating soothingly and the warmth of her body relaxed him. He was being cradled in the arms of a young woman like the child he was. No one had ever embraced Gaara like that…**_

(A/N: Hehe, that's the first time I've used 'bosom' in a Fanfic … Teehee…)

_**His sea foam eyes widened and his body froze in shock. He tried to look into her face but her long black hair shielded it from the child's view.**_

_**She whispered and gently kissed the top of his head, "…I'll always be here for you."**_

"_**Who are you?" demanded Gaara after he'd gotten over the shock of being kissed.**_

_**The sand shot up at Gaara's sudden violent emotion that hit him like a wave and made his heart flutter like a bird. It was something so foreign to him … something so strange it almost frightened him.**_

_**The sand pierced her flesh of her collarbone like thousands of tiny needles carving into her skin.**_

_**She let out a small stifled yelp, but nothing more. She just hugged Gaara tighter and bit her lip. **_

_**Now, on normally perfect porcelain skin, the lower left side of her collar bone was graced with kanji. The very same kanji that was put on Gaara only moments before.**_

'_**Mine,' the possessive and animal instinct side of Gaara thought. It surprised even Gaara who was still clueless to whom the woman even was.**_

_**Gaara's hand reached up, slowly and unsurely at first, and swept the dark hair out of the girl's face to expose her large deep green tear filled eyes. **_

'_**Her face…' Gaara cringed as broken memories scattered his brain, making it hard for him to think or even see. 'Why is she so familiar…?'**_

_**Her hand reached out to stroke some hair of Gaara's face when she paused. The tips of her fingers were slowly turning to sand and blowing away in the breeze, even her tears turned into grains of sand when they rolled off her cheeks. She was slowly disappearing before his very eyes and he couldn't do anything to stop it.**_

"_**Wait," Gaara yelled frantically in attempt to stop her from leaving. "Don't go, please, don't go! I don't … I don't want you to go away … I don't want to loose you again!"**_

_**Gaara was suddenly his older self, a young man, but he still called out like a child to the girl who disappeared into the wind.**_

"_**She's waiting for you, you know."**_

_**The red headed Kazekage spun around when he heard the voice. He'd been so distracted he hadn't even sensed the presence of the small boy behind him, looking up at him calmly with strikingly familiar green eyes. The same breeze that carried away the girl in the sand fingered through his dark red hair, mussing it around his face.**_

"_**Momma says we have to hurry or that Faceless lady will force us out," the boy spoke softly again, "Momma is having a hard time holding on in this world because your memories have been blocked, but I can stay a little longer. You have no memories of me yet that can be erased."**_

"_**Who was that girl," Gaara was sick of so many unanswered questions, "and who are you?"**_

_**The boy's stoic face softened a little, "I have to hurry, or I'll be forced out too. This is your mind, you have to take control, and you have to have something worth fighting for to help you separate yourself from Faceless. You need to remember what you're fighting for."**_

"_**I don't remember anything!"**_

"_**Really?"**_

"…" _**Gaara paused, thinking back to that girl, and all the strange occurrences surrounding her, wondering if maybe she was what he was forgetting.**_

"_**Try to remember, even a little, and take back your body. Faceless can't be taken out of your body without you being killed in the process if you don't sever the ties between the two of you."**_

_**All those times Gaara heard that girl's voice, every mute picture he had in his head and the more recent memory of what it felt like to kiss her… Gaara tried desperately to rearrange them, piece them together, and get them to make sense, but it all came to the one conclusion Gaara had been denying all along. **_

_**Was this 'Faceless' person counting on Gaara's natural stubbornness to keep him under control the whole time?**_

"_**I was in love…"**_

_**There was the slightest of smiles on the boy's face as he gave a small nod, "And her name…?"**_

"_**Her name…" the pain along Gaara's spine and skull was returning, but he fought against it with everything he had. "Her name was … Cassie."**_

_**The little boy turned to leave, but Gaara still caught a glimpse of his growing smile, "Arigato. I have to go now, Momma is calling me."**_

"_**W-what," Gaara winced, struggling to stay focus with all the renewed memories clouding his mind. "What's your name, boy?" **_

"…_**It's Ryuu…" The boy ran off, jumping from one roof to the next, and in the distance there was someone waiting for him. Someone to pick him up, cuddle him, and show him all the love Gaara never got as a child…**_

_**Her hand was held out for him too. She was beckoning for him to follow as well. **_

"…_**I love you…"**_

'_**It's her…' Gaara suddenly looked determined and he striated his posture despite the pain, "This is my body! This is my mind! Faceless, whoever you are, GET OUT!!"**_

_**The strings were being severed one by one, and with each snap of a chakra string a new wave of hot sharp pain coursed through him. And with every sing detached he could start to see those memories, just a little clearer each time, and he could hear Cassie's voice again. Remember the feeling of her warmth…**_

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"This is the end of the line!"

A scream rang in Cassie's ears, a scream only those who once had the seal on them could hear. Anyone else wouldn't have heard a thing, but to the little raven haired girl the sound was so sharp, spiteful, and unbelievably _loud_ she thought her skull might split open.

Who would have thought drawing Faceless out inside a scroll would be so … noisy.

The sand that once formed the Shukaku began to erode away, and Cassandra's arms didn't have the strength to hold on any longer. Her limp arms fell from Gaara and she felt her stomach rise as she plummeted, cursed scroll in her hand, the inside visibly sizzling from being exposed to the last remaining rays of sunlight.

Despite plummeting hundreds of feet Cassie reopened the scroll, exposing the writing on the inside to the setting sun. The ink on the page started burning when exposed to the light, releasing massive amounts of excess chakra, and turning the screams of anger from Faceless from anger to agony.

Spirits like her couldn't survive on their own in sunlight. They need hosts. Without them they die.

And if Cassie didn't do something about her freefall she would die too. There was no way she could survive an impact from such a high place, and on top of that her vision was blurring from exhaustion.

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**Yes, I know, _another_ cliffie, but I think Gaara's memories returning more than makes up for that!! You know, when I look back on my chapters I wanna kick a thesaurus or something because my vocabulary SUCKS! I have to read a dictionary or something because it's beginning to get on my nerves…**

**On to the 'falling action' of my story filled with fluff to make up for the past couple 'fluff deprived' chapters I've been posting lately!**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

_Chrosis, CatrinaCat45, NeuroticSeduction, Alie of the Desert, Pinguina, Miraki Azumi, Berries-R-Blue, Kima-Mitsura, lissa james, DeathBroken, TheStarsDarkness, White Alchemist Taya, Onyxtears, Wistful-Dreamer, Kinky-Kitsune, avidreader101, -Asa-Hoshi-, Inu Youkai Yume, and everyone else!! (Faints) I love you all and the 500+ reviews you have given me!!!!!!! _


	44. I Am Not Crying

**Chapter #44**

**I Am Not Crying**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**Yay! New chapter! Hehe, I enjoyed writing this one!**

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Gaara's eyes snapped open as the sand retreated from his body, cutting off the Shukaku's influence in the outside world. It was only by a stroke of luck that he hadn't been 'outside' long enough to cause much damage to the village or Gaara's consciousness. He supposed he should have been thankful for that. The only thing he ended up with was a tender headache and depleted chakra levels, but then there was…

"Cassie," his sea foam eyes darted around the surrounding area searching for her.

She was plummeting fast towards them ground below them, seemingly unconscious, and it would be a deadly fall if something didn't break it. In such times Gaara could suddenly understand why people with something to protect wouldn't loose, it was because they had something they couldn't loose, and it wrenched Gaara's heart to realize he'd already 'lost' her once before.

He'd die before he let that happen to him again. Now that Gaara knew what it felt like to have to close to him he didn't want to go back to the way he was _ever again_.

Sand shot up rapidly from the ground below Cassie and wrapped around her limp body protectively, and slowing her fall. She was laid out gently on the ground just as Gaara landed beside her.

Gaara picked Cassie up bridal style, cradling her, minding her bleeding and battered legs.

Sure he had his memories back, but he also remembered every moment of his life when he didn't remember. He remembered every moment she looked at him hopefully with eyes that begged him to try and see her again. And yet no matter how poorly he treated her during that time she was still there. Even though she was incredibly sad, no matter how much he hurt her … it was, after all, his fault she was currently hurt. It was his fault she was too tired to even be conscious, and that her legs were probably broken.

"Why…"

There wasn't much time to think about why Cassie did what she did. She was in serious need of a medic.

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Most everything had been cleared up not long after Gaara dropped Cassandra off at the hospital. He wanted to stay, after what happened he didn't want to leave her again, but Sakura was insistent that he leave while she got Cassie settled in. And even the Kazekage didn't want to have to deal with an angry pink haired medic-nin after everything that happened.

He was anxious to go back, and contemplated sneaking in on sever occasions. Who would question or dare to stop him?

Sakura predicted that train of thought and nipped it in the butt by making both his siblings keep an eye on him. One of them was easy enough to shake, but with both of them watching him like hawks and Sasuke and Lee on standby there was no way he could get into the hospital without being detected.

Thus Gaara was stuck pacing back and forth in front of the building muttering under his breath until the very second visiting hours started that morning.

He walked with long strides so Temari and Kankuro could barely keep up.

When he reached the room Sakura was already in front of Cassie's door talking with Hale and Daichi about something.

"I didn't figure they'd allow you to show up," Hale muttered coldly, "shouldn't it just be family that's allowed to see her?"

"Well, yes, since she hasn't woken up quite yet that is the case…" Sakura began.

Gaara's fists clenched. No way in hell were they keeping him away from Cassie any longer. Furious medic-nin or not, he _was_ going to see her.

"…but we make an exception for the father—"

"—_I'm_ her father," said Daichi, wondering if Sakura knew what she was talking about.

"Don't interrupt me," Sakura stated sharply before continuing, "I was going to say that we make an exception for the father of _her_ child. Which, by the way, is doing just fine, despite the strain she put on her body when she was fighting. It's a really good thing a woman's body is build to naturally protect her baby—"

"_What?!_" was the delayed reaction from everyone who was still out of the loop, which included Gaara, Hale, Daichi, and Kankuro.

"What did I say about interrupting me?" pouted Sakura childishly. She was putting on quite the show, trying to get everything explained while they would be willing to actually listen to her. "I'll have an ultrasound scheduled in a few weeks, and regular check ups of course…"

Naturally, no one was really listening even though every single one of them was dead silent.

Temari was practically leaning into the circle of men to try and see their reactions. She was fighting back a small grin when it came to Gaara, who looked completely dumbstruck, like it never occurred to him that one day he could be a father.

Truth be told, it really hadn't occurred to him. Of course he knew that happens when two people … were together, but it just seemed … Gaara couldn't think of any real words or emotions. His mind was only drawing blanks for a long time as his brain rebooted from the surprise.

'_I'm going to be a … father?'_

When Gaara actually started having organized thoughts he wondered what he _should_ be feeling. He didn't care that much about what others would think. What worried him was what was Cassie might be feeling. Cassie was still sixteen, she could still be considered a child herself, and so would she want to be a mother at such a young age? More importantly, would she want to be a young mother carrying _his_ child? What would she want to do about the situation?

'_Temari and Sakura knew way before this,' _realized Gaara when he saw the looks on the girls' faces. _'So then how long has Cassie known…?'_

Kankuro suddenly started laughing and grinning like an idiot. He was actually brave – or stupid – enough to put his arm over Gaara's shoulder. "Whoa, Gaara's a daddy! I can't believe it! Who would have guessed Gaara to be such a smooth operator? I'm gonna have a niece or a nephew! Sweet!"

'…_Moron.'_

"…I'm going to be a grandfather," whispered Daichi. By this point he couldn't feel his feet, so he couldn't have moved even if he wanted to. He was having a hard time believing that his sixteen year old daughter was pregnant.

"…A nephew or niece…" Hale wasn't thrilled about Gaara being the father, but because he didn't have a death wish he kept his mouth shut. He cared more about his sister than anything else, so he tried to suppress the anger he would otherwise have felt.

'_So does that mean that the little boy from my dream – Ryuu – is real?'_ Gaara asked himself, _'was that my son?'_

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With Cassie's mind still foggy from sleep, she though she was asleep in her own room. She groaned, shielding her eyes from the bright morning sun, wondering where on earth her curtains were, and why she couldn't move her legs…

'_Gaara…'_

She opened her eyes wide, which in retrospect probably wasn't the best idea. Since she was in a hospital room where someone neglected to draw the curtains she was instantly blinded by white. It burned for a few minutes, and it took a lot of blinking – and eye rubbing – to clear her vision again.

The raven haired teen was alone in her little hospital room, tucked snuggly into bed, and an IV attached to her hand. On the chair next to the bed was a small pile of folded cloths for her to change into whenever she woke up.

"I have to see if he's alright…" murmured Cassie under her breath as she pulled out the IV and threw back the covers. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and if it hadn't been for the safety bar to grab onto she would have fallen right on her face. It took a few minutes for her to notice the long splint she had on both legs They were wrapped thickly with snug fitting bandages to hold the solid bit of the splint, and they nearly covered both her knees.

Cassie blinked, looking at the splints in a moment of confusion, until she remembered the Shukaku… It was a good thing Sakura was around, or she would have been in a wheelchair with impossible casts instead of a few temporary bandages for her, still stiff and sore, feet and ankles.

The crutches were purposely set on the other side of the room to prevent her from leaving, but it wasn't like that was going to stop her.

With a deep breath she slowly lowered her feet to the floor and took her first attempt at allowing her own legs to support her. There wasn't much pain, just the tenseness from stiff muscles. It was her joints that couldn't bare her weight, they were too flimsy, and there was too little control. That explained the bandages to keep them in place.

She was alright to stand after a few attempts at keeping her balance, but the moment she stepped forward her ankle gave way, and she crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

"Damn it," Cassie cursed. Her landing hadn't been a comfortable one, and because she was so anxious to find out about Gaara, she rapidly grew impatient.

The noised attracted the attention of whoever was outside the door, and it opened a few seconds after.

Cassandra kept her eyes to the floor because she could feel her frustration finally getting the best of her. Her eyes were stinging a little with the threat of tears, but she wouldn't let herself cry. She didn't want to cry…

"Cassie," snapped Sakura's voice, "What are you doing out of bed? You shouldn't be walking quite yet. You had some muscle damage, and it'll take time to heal."

Sakura reached over to help the raven haired girl to her feet, but she flinched away. Still not taking her eyes off the floor.

"I don't want to stay in that hospital bed," she muttered stubbornly like a child. Her voice cracked a little, partly from being impossibly thirsty, and partly because she was still fighting tears.

After years of holding it all in … Cassie was bound to cry sooner or later…

Some one tried to reach for her again, she tried to back away, but she couldn't get far, and eventually a pair of arms wrapped around her. They pulled her in tightly to a familiar warm chest…

Gaara felt Cassie freeze when he pulled her into him in an attempt to calm her down. What else did he expect? For the past few weeks he didn't even remember who she was. She probably thought she still didn't even remember her. It was like she was bracing herself for Gaara reverting back to his old, cold, self.

Then he felt her shoulders tremble, ever so slightly, and she pressed her face into his chest.

"You're ok…" Cassie's voice was a little muffled by the fabric of Gaara's shirt.

'_How … predictable of her, worrying about me when she's the one with all the injuries…'_ Gaara ran his fingers through her hair when he felt his shirt grow damp. "Cassie … are you crying?"

"N-no, I am not…" Despite denying it, her voice was still shaky, so there was no mistaking that she _was_ crying. "…I-I'm just happy y-you're ok…"

'_What did I do to deserve someone like her?'_

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**The way I see it, there will be two more chapters, a conclusion chapter and an epilogue, though I am very surprised it actually turned out this long and got so many reviews. This is my most successful story by far. **

**Keep reading, I think you'll all enjoy the last two chapters.**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks everyone who reviewed!!!!**


	45. A Proposal

**Chapter #45**

**A Proposal**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.**

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"Aw man," Cassie sighed, staring blankly at her hospital room ceiling, "how did I end up in the hospital like this, _again_?"

Visiting hours in the hospital only lasted so long, and since Sakura insisted Cassie stay the night for observation she was confined to the tiny room with nothing to do. She wasn't allowed to be up and about too much, but there wouldn't have been much point to it anyway since someone could only limp around the hallways in a circle for so long.

Funny, during visiting hours everyone came in, there wasn't a moment there wasn't someone coming in or out of the nurse. Whether it was a friend visiting or the nurse making sure Cassie hadn't pulled out her IV – the staff quickly learned she had a tendency to do so – there was always someone in the room. Cassie was tired from overexerting herself, and almost wished she could just go back to sleep, but suddenly found herself missing the company when everyone was forced to leave.

Especially Gaara, who outright refused to leave the room. He upset a lot of the hospital staff that attempted to convince him to leave the hospital.

Kazekage or not, there were still rules about visitors, and the nurses – and doctors – were the ones unfortunate to attempt to get him to leave first. After many, many, failed attempts Lee, Sakura, and Sasuke stepped in and were able to get him out unscathed.

Despite being tired, it was still almost impossible to sleep. Eventually Cassie gave up counting ceiling tiles and rolled over to check the clock.

It was early, very early, the sun wouldn't even be starting to rise quite yet. And Cassie still hadn't gotten more than a few minutes of sleep.

Cassie closed her eyes again, trying to find the will to get just a little more sleep, but she couldn't.

After a few moments she felt someone's fingers gently brush her bangs out of her face, and she couldn't help but smile even when she was trying to sleep, "It took you longer than I would have guessed to get here. What kept you up?"

"Sakura ordered Kankuro to keep an eye on me," answered Gaara softly, "I had to wait until he fell asleep."

"I figured," giggled Cassie, "I just thought he would fall asleep sooner."

"You haven't slept at all," stated Gaara calmly.

"I was never fond of hospitals, it makes it hard to sleep, and I think I'm too anxious to sleep right now."

Without a word Gaara began undoing the straps that attached his gourd to his back and picked up the crutches leaning against the wall. He slipped one of his arms under Cassie's back, making her sit upright, and then started adjusting the straps to fit her slim shoulders.

Cassie cocked an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"If you aren't going to get proper sleep here, then I'll just have to take you somewhere else," he answered. He picked Cassie up piggyback style – minding her legs – and adjusted the weight around so he could move easier. "Hold on tight."

"Ya," she responded quietly with a small nod. She squirmed a little, trying to get comfy, and trying to adjust the weight of the heavy gourd.

The weight of the gourd decreased, and Gaara glanced back at Cassie, "Is it better now?"

Cassie nodded, _'The gourd is heavier than it looks, and Gaara carries it around all the time. He makes it look easy.'_

Gaara maneuvered easily through the window – after Cassie scribbled a quick note for the nurses – and into the windy desert night. The harsh waves of sand in the wind naturally repelled off of them so they weren't completely covered in it by the time they made it back to Gaara's house.

Instead of heading through the door and waking up Kankuro, they slipped through Gaara's window, and he quietly set Cassie down on the bed.

The petite raven haired girl immediately fell to her side, burying her face in the pillows, and curling up like she always did when she slept. She may not have been able to sleep, but she was physically exhausted, and her body relished the chance to lie down on something more comfortable than a hospital bed.

For someone who never slept, Gaara had an awesome bed.

_Thud._

There was a loud noise when Gaara set his gourd on the floor and then sat on the bed, pulling Cassie in close to him.

"How could you go through all that time pretending nothing was wrong," Gaara sighed.

Cassie yawned, nuzzling into Gaara's chest, and intertwining her small, delicate, fingers with his, "You'd be surprised what you can do when it's to protect someone you love. If I'd done anything, if I'd approached you, it might have just made things worse. All I could do was be patient, and not let anyone worry."

"You have every right in the world to hate me…" Gaara hissed. The comment was mostly directed at himself, and all the times when he never remembered her.

"There is enough hate in the world, no sense in making more."

There were those odd comments Cassandra was known for. She didn't think like most other people, she had an odd way of thinking, or rather just an unusual way of explaining herself. But that was one of the reasons Gaara found her so precious to him.

"When I didn't have my memory," Gaara paused, admitting that irked him, "I would always hear your voice. They were old memories, and I never believed they were true… But I couldn't help but always think of how your voice sounded to me, and without knowing it, I would always miss it. Without knowing it, I would always miss you. There is no way in hell I want you to disappear from my life ever again…"

"You mean that?" Cassie's eyes darted uncertainly down to her abdomen, wondering what he would think. Would he approve? Would he want to be a father?

"Of course," Gaara's hand slid around to her stomach, "No matter what, I want you by my side because, with you around, I feel like I can do anything."

'_He knows.'_ She knew instantly, and smiled, "He looks a lot like you."

"He has a lot of you in him too."

The red headed Kazekage thought back and tried to picture the little boy, Ryuu. The first thing that came to mind was the boy's large childish eyes that held the beginnings of dark circles around their edges. They had the same shape as Gaara's, but they were much wider, and the shade of green was very different. It was deeper, and darker, similar to the colour of seaweed, with a multitude of different shades of lighter green that added shine in the light.

So _very_ similar her eyes.

Ryuu, their son, the one that helped both of them wake up from a deep sleep that would have killed them.

"You're going to be a good mother," stated Gaara confidently.

The way he remembered Cassie snuggling and coddling her young child was exactly how he'd expect her to act. As unusual as she could be at times, she still had a predictable element about her.

'_But there is one thing…'_ thought Gaara, "...I'm nineteen now, aren't I?"

Cassie giggled, "Last time I checked. I couldn't give you the birthday present I'd been saving for you, so I had to get Lee to drop it off for me."

"But that's not all," murmured Gaara softly, "A Kazekage my age is expected to take a wife."

There was a pause. Cassie lifted her head tiredly to look up at Gaara, trying to get the rest of what he was going to say out. She had a distinct feeling … but she needed to hear it with her own ears.

"And there is no one else on earth I would rather have by my side," Gaara breathed.

Another long pause, and an unreadable look from little Iwate Cassandra, whose brain was taking its time registering the situation.

Gaara blinked, the elongated pause making him feel uneasy, "Are you going to say something…?"

A big smile spread across Cassie's face and she wrapped her arms around his middle happily.

Gaara just asked Cassie to marry him. Almost every girl dreams of getting married one day, and starting a family. And with everything bad put behind them, all they had to do was look forward and see their future.

A family. The two of them. Together.

"I love you."

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**Technically this is the 'final chapter' but I can resist making an epilogue, especially since I don't like this chapter all that much. With my insane schedule lately it's like my brain went on vacation and left me here with my stacks of homework. The last chapter will make me satisfied or, so help me god, I am putting my foot through the goddamn keyboard!!!**

**I still love the reviews, but since I have to work early in the morning I have no time to reply to each of them (NOT MY FAULT DAMN IT!!! Sob). I love all of my reviews so keep sending them please!!!!**

**Starchip13**

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

_AnimeLover613, Vegamarie, Kinky-Kitsune, Kima-Mitsura, xxKKxx, Supershark1, Thestarsdarkness, XXmyXorochimaruXX, Pinguina, Jiru-Dea-Shi-Mai-Ryu, -Asa-Hoshi-, The Norwegian Dragon, SilentWhisperWolf, Mair9512, OnyxTears, Miraki Azumi, Naked Under my Clothes, USDA-Certified Organic, Chrosis, Berries-R-Blue, Death Broken, Wind Kunoichi, Gaaras.Obsession, avidreader101, Wistful-Dreamer, White Alchemist Taya, and everyone else!!!_


	46. Epilogue: Glad to Finally Meet You

**Chapter #46**

**Epilogue: Glad to Finally Meet You**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto and Co.**

**(Sob) This is the last chapter of my story! I started this story way back in August, and now, here is the final chapter, over half a year (and over 600 reviews) later. Some of you have been reading my story for almost as long as I've been posting!! This is the most successful story I've made, and I love all you reviewers!**

**Since this one is ending, I just have to start a new Naruto story, but I'm not sure what to write. Naturally, it will be another OC story, but which character should I manipulate! Give me inspiration here people!**

**Also I'm starting a series of one shots about this story. It will have all genre types, and so on, some will not relate to the sequel – if I decide I have enough time to make one – so I will be glad to take requests if you have any. **

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"Who would have thought…" mumbled Cassie as she examined the fan in her hand. It was a very unusual tool, obviously used for Ninjutsu like Temari's fan, but one side was covered in some kind of mirror. It wasn't hard, it was more like some type of fabric, but it shone better than any regular mirror.

"It was all that was left of Yin after you took out faceless, she kind of just disappeared," said Lee, "Good thing too. She flung one of my own kunai back at me with that mirror of hers and grazed my shoulder. It went completely numb! I couldn't move it for three weeks."

The raven haired girl couldn't help but laugh, "If it had been anyone but you, it probably would have taken twice as long."

"I'm just sorry I missed the whole damn thing," Naruto pouted childishly, "Man, bushy brows and Sasuke always get the cool missions. Why couldn't I get sent to Suna so I could fight weird demonic puppet minions?"

Queue silence…

Eight months later Cassie and Gaara were in Konoha once again. Gaara was off at the Hokage's tower for an annual meeting of the local lords and Kages where they discussed everything from military matters to important budget requests. From what Cassie gathered, it was a fairly big deal, and because of that the Kage's spouses almost always attended.

Luckily for young Cassandra, her condition spared her from the boring meetings. Her condition being that she was nine months pregnant, which came with a multitude of, seemingly small, complications. So the exception was made, and it was only required for her to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.

Wondering idly around her hotel room and looked at herself in the full sized mirror on the outside of the bathroom door with a small sigh.

She was wearing a kimono, not unlike the one she wore for the opening ceremonies the day before. It was a good thing she was able to find kimonos to fit her new … shape.

'_I look like I swallowed a watermelon … whole…'_ thought Cassie in an almost casual way. She didn't believe her stomach would expand that far, but apparently it was very possible. It was amazing the things that happened to a girl during her pregnancy. It wasn't just her stomach that expanded, but so did her breasts, and her feet, and even her face had more of a round childish glow than usual.

Lee proudly proclaimed it the 'glow of pregnancy'. Cassie wasn't sure what she was supposed to call it.

'_Just a couple more weeks…'_ the slow count down to her due date was making her a little anxious. Back home she'd rearranged the furniture four times, and in the little hotel room she just couldn't sit still.

Reason two for being in Konoha, traveling the long distance even in her late stages of pregnancy. Sakura had gone home after the incident months before, but insisted their still be regular check ups. And since Sakura had her regular duties at the hospital Lee and Naruto were assigned to escort Cassie everywhere, well, that and the fact that she was the pregnant wife of the Kazekage.

She really just could believe that part. It all seemed so unreal.

"Are there any strawberries left, Naruto-kun?" asked Cassie once she'd finished mulling over her bulging stomach in the mirror.

"No, you finished the last of them off about an hour ago, you know, after my third trip to the market to pick up a fresh batch." Naruto responded, still just getting over his pouting about the Suna incident, "You _can't_ still be hungry."

"Now, now, Naruto-kun, she _is_ eating for two," Lee pointed out.

Naruto stared in disbelief, "Are you sure she isn't having triplets or something? Man, I don't think other pregnant women can eat three large blows of strawberries and still be hungry."

"No, I've always been a strawberry freak," Cassie smiled sheepishly, "three bowls of strawberries has never been unusual for me, but I, kind of, have a craving for some fresh sweet peas too now…"

"Fine, fine, say no more, I'll go pick up some more…" Naruto headed for the door without any more complaints.

The petite pregnant girl tugged childishly at Naruto's sleeve before he had a chance to leave, "But, Naruto-kun, Lee-kun, I want to go out too. I'm tired of just staying here in the hotel room."

"Are you sure, Cassie-chan," asked Lee, "Going out for a walk may not be a good idea."

Cassie's tone flattened slightly, "I'm pregnant, not crippled."

"She raises a valid point," shrugged Naruto, "What could happen?"

True enough, not much was going to happen with both Lee and Naruto with her, so Lee couldn't really argue against it, and it was not like he didn't want his old friend to go out and have a good time while she was visiting Konoha.

"Alright, let us go."

As fait would have it, they never did actually make it all that far. In fact, they only made it to the side walk directly in front of the building when Cassie started wincing until she stopped walking altogether. She stumbled, she would have fallen over if Lee hadn't caught her, and she had a clear look of pain on her face.

"Cassie-chan, are you ok, what's happening," questioned Lee.

"Y-you need to get me to the hospital," Cassie had to contain a yelp, "right _now_."

"Is it cramps?" Even though Lee asked anyway, it was basically a rhetorical question, they all knew what was happening.

Naruto paled, "Hey, no way, Sakura said her due date wasn't for a few weeks!"

Cassandra's teeth gritted, "Well, I'm pretty sure the baby gets to decide, and he says _now_!"

When women begin going into labor their patience grows much thinner, for obvious reasons, so Cassie wasn't in the mood for Naruto to start freaking out. She was even more freaked out than he was, and it made her heart rate skyrocket.

Suddenly being lifted off her feet, Cassie let out a small 'eep'. Lee picked her up bridal style, and tested to make sure that he had a good grip, "I am faster, I will take her to Sakura-chan. Naruto-kun, you go to the Hokage tower and get Gaara-sama. We will meet you at the hospital."

"Y-ya, ya," the jittery blonde responded as he bounded off in the direction of the Kazekage tower.

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The meeting progressed at its expected slow pace. Each order of business was proposed, it would then be debated, and then the group would decide of a course of action. It wasn't a bad system, but it would certainly go by a lot faster if every decision didn't need to be a consensus. Some issues could be agreed on and compromised easily, but others sometimes took almost an hour to work out, which explained why the meetings were always such a big deal, and why they took so agonizingly long.

The Hokage listed vaguely to the room as lords and officials from neighboring lands argued, and she brought input when it was needed. But mostly she just observed and answered questions on her point of view. The Kage's were just a little more than figureheads in this type of debate after all.

The busty blonde noticed a lot of things in her silent observations. She noticed how much men spat when they argued, she noticed that one man's fly was down, and she noticed the Kazekage was being unusually quiet, even for him.

'_He's thinking about Cassandra, I don't really blame him, it's obvious he'd rather be with her,'_ she thought absently.

Among the clamor and arguments a voice could be heard just outside the large double doors. A very familiar – very _loud_ – voice that was hollering obnoxiously at the ANBU guards out front, demanding entrance to an important meeting that was already well underway. Even _he_ would have an urgent reason for interrupting something that important.

The door finally swung open, noisily, catching the attention of the population of the room.

"Man, you'd think when I say 'urgent message' people would get the point," Naruto muttered under his breath as he walked in the room, not noticing the sudden pin-drop silence his interruption had caused. He walked right over to the Kazekage – Gaara – and muttered something in his ear, no one else could catch what he said, but Tsunade had an idea which was confirmed when she saw Gaara rise abruptly from his seat.

'_So, Cassandra-san is early, interesting,' _Tsunade was grinning inwardly.

"K-Kazekage-sama, where are you _going_?" one of the dignitaries asked, also getting to his feet.

"Something came up," Gaara responded quickly. He offered no other explanation, and didn't give the chance for anyone to ask any more questions.

"What just happened?" someone asked.

"Is the Kazekage allowed to just leave like that?"

"Shizune," Tsunade motioned for the brunette to come closer.

Shizune leaned in, "Hai?"

"Give the Yamanaka Flower Shop a quick call, tell them to deliver some flowers to the hospital."

With a smile and a nod, Shizune did as she was told.

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Cassie's heart was pounding. She felt more than a little nervous, and a little bit scared. Everything was moving so quickly … her mind barely had time to catch up.

"Deep breaths, Cassie-chan," Sakura murmured softly, "Its going to be time to push soon."

'_Kami … a contraction is painful enough, and now I've got to start pushing… How do some women have five or more children? This is insane…'_ Cassie's mom died when she was to young to know exactly like labor worked, so the responsibility of explaining the main details were left to her father. The thing was that Daichi could be squeamish when it came to things like that… _'Where is Gaara?'_

"Alright, now take one deep breath…" the pinkette instructed calmly, "and _push_."

Doing as she was told, Cassandra pushed as hard as she could, crying out stridently in the process. Forget intense ninja battles and whatnot, if a hardened shinobi had to suffer through labor he'd be screaming too.

Cassie collapsed back onto the hospital bed, breathing a little hoarse, and glared at the ceiling.

Sakura nodded at her friend, smiling to try and reassure her, "That was good … that was very good. You're doing very well, Cassie. Just a few more pushes and it's all over, ok?"

'_Easy for her to say…'_ she just needed a minute to close her eyes.

Someone's large, warm, hand wrapped around her clenched fists, and Cassie looked up at the one person she really needed to see. Never in her life had she been more grateful for the ninja style popping out of nowhere Gaara was so good at.

"I need you to push again," Sakura notified.

Gaara blinked, eyes scanning over his new wife, and allowing her to take a much firmer grip on his hand as an outlet for her pain. He knew all about how labor worked of course, but he'd never actually seen it happen, so it was disconcerting to see Cassie in such obvious pain. This was one thing there was he couldn't shield her from.

She screamed again, just as like Gaara heard when he'd been making his way down the hall, and her grip tightened like a vice. For a small young woman, she sure had a powerful grip.

For the second time Cassie fell back in exhaustion, and closed her eyes to calm herself. While she was not busy she gave Gaara's hand a much gentler squeeze, like she was saying a weak 'thank you for being here'.

"I can see the head! Come on, just one more push and it's done!"

"This better be the last one," Gaara heard Cassie mutter under her breath. She screamed again, a little louder, after that, as she gave one last really hard push.

This time when Cassie finally relaxed again something else was crying, a baby.

Sakura ordered the nurses to bring her towels and other things she needed, and a less than a couple moments later the pinkette held up a small newborn wrapped in blankets. The infant continued crying, wiggling a little against the fabric wrapped around him, mussing the wisps of dark copper coloured hair on his head.

"Congratulations, Cassandra, Gaara-sama," piped Sakura with a big grin, "you have a baby boy."

The infant was passed on to Gaara, who felt a little awkward because he'd never held a baby before.

"My son," Gaara mumbled softly as his child's crying slowly calmed itself. He carried his son over to Cassie so she could hold him too.

Despite having gone through hell – or at least that how Gaara thought it sounded – the raven haired young woman looked excited to be finally seeing her baby. She cradled him gently in her arms, kissed his forehead, and cuddled him. …Just like how Gaara remembered her fawning over her child in his dream … it was already apparent that she would be a good mother.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Ryuu," she cooed, "Welcome to the world my son…"

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**Awwww!!! Ya, Cassie is seventeen when she had her kid, and I know it seems a little young, but don't go judging people because they're a teen mother. Besides, I always kind of figured the Naruto world is the place where dignitaries (and Kages alike) could take young wives and it would still be socially acceptable. Oh well, Cassie will be a good mother either way, she doesn't care much about her age.**

**Ok, the reason this chapter is kinda late is because I wanted it to be good, so I kind of rewrote three or four times… That is the most I've done that and it really bugged me. I just wanted it to be good. I still think it could be better … but it improved drastically from my first draft.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH to those who read/reviewed (especially the reviewers) on my story! You're all so great!**

**Starchip13**

…**Oh hell, my fic is over new isn't it? Damn…**


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